Tips to Help with Hoarding

Hoarding is a very common mental state among individuals. Hoarders tend to hold on to things and collect items, even if this includes items of less financial value. Letting go and decluttering is a problem for hoarders. People suffering from this disorder find it hard to discard things.

This is because these people find comfort in accumulating things. They suffer from much distress if anyone even tries to discard their possessions. Hoarding symptoms are present in one out of every twenty people.

Even though it is challenging, overcoming hoarding is possible. Let’s look at some tips to help with hoarding in detail below.

Clean Up Clutter as You See It

This is a great preventative measure for hoarding. As soon as you see clutter in the house, begin cleaning it. If you see messy and disorganized items, place them immediately. If some items need to be thrown away, do so without delay.

Set a Time During the Day to Declutter

Set aside fifteen minutes each day and begin decluttering your space. You canalso make a weekly planand begin room-wise. People prone to hoarding sometimes cannot de-clutter naturally.

 

 

One way to make decluttering easy for yourself is to place everything in its rightful place. When you see dirt towels, place them in the laundry. If you see empty bottles and old food, throw them away immediately. These little things will make decluttering easy for you.

If You Are Not Using It, Throw It

When you have a hoarding problem, you store items with little value. These items may include old newspapers, clothes that don’t fit you, broken-down appliances, etc.

A great rule to apply in your life is to throw away any item you have not used in a year.This will help with the unnecessary buildup of possessions such as clothes, electronics, and kitchen equipment.

How to Help Hoarders

If someone around you is a hoarder and you want to help them, take the following steps.

• Firstly, understand the disorder. Once you understand the problem, you can empathize with the hoarder. This will help you provide the support they need.
• Talk to your loved one about the detrimental nature of hoarding. Focus on how piling up possessions can be a safety risk and cause accidents. Reducing possessions can eliminate the chances of a fire or other accidents.
• Offer your loved ones who suffer from hoarding your help. Your understanding and assistance can help them over come to this problem.
• You can also encourage the hoarder to get help. Even if someone knows they have a problem, it can be difficult to take the first step. You can introduce the individual to support groups and therapists in the locality.

Final Thoughts

Hoarding is a common disorder suffered by many. The above-discussed tips to help with hoarding can guide you if someone close to you suffers from this problem.