Story sent in from Daughter of hoarder - She collects, for the most part, very useless junk. I think 99.99% of what she hoards is 100% recyclable. I understand to keep old nice clothes in which you may need 'when you lose weight', but most of her junk

Story sent in from Daughter of hoarder | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment | Search Discussion

The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.

No Comments Allowed for Anonymous, please register

Re: Story sent in from Daughter of HOARDER (Score: 1)
by LizB ((none)) on Friday, August 31, 2007 @ 19:23:08 ICT
(User Info | Send a Message)

Fr. Author:

I have taken digital photos of the problem areas. (Not all of them, mind you. She threatens, and lurks.) I see a counselor now, and would like to include her in my sessions. She knows I hate collecting all this junk. There are not enough thrift store, and/or recycling facilities to accomodate excess junk, even how moderate our worse mess is, but it is not worth it when everyone in your family is moderately-severely obese, and you lack alot of potential vacation time due to your inability to feel free, and let loose on a free, and happy life (being tied down to material possessions- and, @ which you barely care about). She threatened me that in the new house I wouldn't even get a key to the swing garage. - That's how paranoid, unrealistic, and frightening she sounds. I never took to the importance she claims the stuff is worth. She hasn't dug into any of the stuff for the five (5) yrs we've lived here.

Can anyone direct me on how to post our worse mess online to show what I mean about our worse hoarding mess?

Should I encourage my mother to seek counseling for this OCD hoarding complex she has? I will visit with my treatment team therapy sessions to see what their opinion is. I know alot of it stems fr. my compulsive buying. I needed major control epiphanies lately, and in all of the future, as well.

I am so oppressed by this junk. It's like I don't ever feel like I can do what I want to do. I do not believe I need to buy anything to an extreme, i.e. everything and anything else, but food, and toiletries. I wonder what the top ten cut offs for what draws the line between very useless junk, and an ontime, and appropriate gift for a friend. Mine are: 1. Never buy anything for the sake of buying. (e.g. lyrics to "Teardrops on my Guitar", bc of w/out a beau). 2. Never buy anything you already have. (e.g. "I would like to buy this coffee mug, bc of the neat design on the front of it. ('I already have dozens of coffee mugs at home, but their tucked away where I cannot find.') - something I've done recently; A: Go home, and do some treasure hunting. Do not waste on a few bucks in which you could save up for a greater purchase, in which would provide more bang for the buck! 3. Never buy a gift for a loved one unless you are definitely sure you will attend the party. A: Buy their gift in the village/town/city they live in (i.e. inc. if they have a registry), so, you are sure to run into them. 4. Be sure, and do a recycle drop off at least once a month. Also, leave recyclable bins full for each pick-up twice a mo. 5. Donate excess belongings to a charitable organization at least once every year at spring cleaning time, i.e. every yr., the R, of spring break of your main University you acquire, inquire, or support. 6. Find something useful to do for all of the non-recyclable items you ac*****ulate, and tend to have no use for in any kind of future. 7. Be extremely frugal, and discriminate about all of your purchases due to recyclability, (some are not easily/at all recyclable), of anything you would like to use, or have. 8. Buy only top quality products. (i.e. It is best to buy one beautiful dress rather that five shabby ones.) 9. Spend on vacations you would spend on excess material possessions that would break your back in moving, and transporting. 10. Remember key Sales seasons (i.e. Memorial Day Sale- shoes, Sept.-Jan.- summer clothes (global warming detriment will only make summer, and winter both extreme, i.e. extremely hot, and extremely cold, respectively), Mar.-May- winter clothes, et al...). So, you may still purchase quality items, but save alot of dough for major vacation packages!!

Again, please, someone direct me on how to submit my mother's hoarding photos on line. So, other people may be comforted, and the people I know can tell what kind of problem we have, & may pray for us, & help out. Also, if you are proficient with do*****enting videos of hoarders home, please, inform me if you can help, and what general area you live. I live in LV, NV, USA.- You gotta be close.

I want to know your thoughts on if I should encourage my mother to help herself in her hoarding problem. After all, she has never been on psychotropic drugs (And, I adamantly refuse to let her.), nor to a psychiatric (SYKE- EEA-TRICK) therapy session, or a psychologist appt.

Please, pray that this disorder gets understood, and empathized more greatly than the trail of ignorance left behind. If you can post your hoarder's home, esp. before, and after photos (ESP., videos). - I find them very inspiring. Like, wow, "I'm glad we're past that!", or "I'm glad we're almost past that!". Some of these websites are too extreme for me to understand, and I would seriously, like to help my mother through her problem.

Thank you.