Saturday 22 March 2014

On the Subject of Hoarding

I've got an admission to make, that I have a bit of an obsession at the moment, with a series of programmes on CBS Reality Channel, about extreme hoarders in the US.  I'm recording them via a series link, as they are on daily, and I'm gradually finding time to watch them.  I've mentioned before that I have mild hoarding tendencies or have had in the past as I can get quite sentimental about some items, but in recent years I have managed to get them under some sort of control and gradually minimise the urge to buy more and more 'stuff'.  I still sometimes have the odd lapse, but where I do buy anything, I try to make sure that it is either something small or something that I will definitely use or wear.

I'm finding most of the episodes very interesting, save for the ones where people hoard animals, which I enjoy less.  I can empathise with the fact that animals can be very good companions, and I could see myself with a guinea pig village if I had a spare outbuilding, but I've always found pets to be a very big responsibility, not to mention expense and some of the animals in some of the programmes don't always appear to be very well looked after, which I find a bit distressing.  Not that I'm making judgements,  it is very difficult to tell from an edited TV programme, just what is the real reality.

I do, however, find watching these programmes quite inspiring, as the psychologists and organisers very kindly and gently try to help the afflicted, whilst trying to identify the underlying reasons for their behaviour, and bring some normality back to their somewhat chaotic lives.  I have to admit I find these programmes therapeutic too, as after each programme I watch, I wander off and purge another part of the house to free us of 'stuff' I/we no longer want or need.  It seems to be working, as the house is so much less cluttered than it was 3 months ago.  I don't know what I will use to inspire me when the series ends!

Part of the reason for the sudden interest, is that we are having guests coming to stay in a week's time, so I'm trying to get a grip on the house, to enable me to give it a good spring clean in time for their arrival.  The sewing room/spare bedroom is the main room left to tackle, with piles of fabric everywhere, that I have laid out intending to use for various projects I have in my head.

This morning, I decided to start to tackle this room.  I tidied away as many stray items as I could and then decided to sort through all of my sewing patterns and there must be 70+ of them.  I pulled out any that I fancy making in the next 6 months, and any that I am never likely to make, so that the latter could be sent to the charity shop.  I probably got rid of about 10, which wasn't great, but it was progress at least.   I then matched the fabrics from the piles to the sewing patterns and created one big 'to make' pile, which makes a lot more sense of the mess.  Most of the remaining fabrics were then tidied away in drawers and other storage containers out of sight. 

There's still a bit of tidying left to do, but I'll tackle that another time.  I find that sometimes when you get stuck, as I have today, as to where you're going to put everything, if you walk away, think about it for a while and then go back to it, it can all fall into place in your mind at least where everything should eventually go.  That's my theory anyway and I'm sticking to it.

10 comments:

  1. I live in Canada but we do get thenchannel that has Hoarders, I have watched it once, I found it kind of disturbing, sad, I feel bad for people who are this way.I am completely the opposite, I suppose thats why the show bothers me, I have frend who is trying to deal with her hoarding tendencies and she found taking baby steps was needed and when I watched the program I could see how it is a very emotional process for them, so sad, my friend just has the normal stuff that accumulates but even she found it over whelming, she felt great after a while but had many days of "why did I save all this crap!!

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    1. I agree it is incredibly sad to see how people have got into the situations they have, but there is quite often trauma somewhere lurking somewhere in the background.

      It is good, however, to see the participants break through and develop a new way of thinking, although I don't know how often they end up resuming the habit once the process has ended.

      We have similar programmes airing now in the UK with a similar approach, although quite often the participants are not faced with intervention from outside agencies, which appears to be the case in the US quite often.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's great to hear from you.

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  2. I watch the programme "Secret Hoarder Next Door" again I enjoy the journeys people make. I am de-cluttering a room - did a couple of hours today!

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    1. Me too. The sewing room this time. Still quite a bit to do, but making progress. I like to see the journey too, it's like an unravelling.

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  3. Those programmes make me feel sad. Am I an animal hoarder ? not quite, but four cats is rather a lot; I grew up with three generations of cats, plus dogs, rabbit, tortoise, guinea pigs, goldfish & stick insects ( not all at the same time ! ) Mum blames herself for my cat collection !

    There is a lady advertising in our village magazine to help people de clutter !

    I emptied the airing cupboard & took a pile of linen to the charity shop. It looks a lot tidier in there !

    Good luck x

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  4. No, of course you're not an animal hoarder. We had four cats and two guinea pigs, a rabbit and fish as children. It's like creating a family, but I think if animals begin to take over the house, it becomes a bit more extreme. Each to their own I say, so long as they are looked after. I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm criticising people for having lots of pets. I'm really not. I just know how much work it takes to look after them.

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    1. I knew that ! It is a lot of work & expense but they are so part of the family & make us all smile.
      Meant to say, hop over to Jumble & Jelly Blog ( on my blogroll ) and see what Lisa did with some paper patterns !

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    2. That sounds intriguing, I think I will.

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  5. Hi Ann - I know exactly what you mean about the hoading programs when I have watched any I feel both inspired to have a good tidy up and also relieved that my house doesn't look as bad as theirs even on the worst day! I am trying to sort our office come craft room at the moment too and I am having to do it in stages as there is far more 'stuff' in this room than any other. I will no doubt be popping back here for both encouragement and inspiration as you seem to be doing a similar clear out.

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    1. Hi, thanks for dropping by. Yes, I always seem to be in the midst of a clearing out process. The sewing room is a particularly cluttered room, although it is mostly all stored tidily in storage boxes. I have far too much fabric, but as I enjoy sewing and have started to make patchwork quilts in the last year, I am loathe to get rid of it.

      Periodically, however, I do go through it and if there's anything I've completely gone off and won't use I send it to the charity shop. Hopefully, eventually it will be a bit more streamlined. Good luck with your clearing out endeavours.

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