13 pieces of terrible hoarding advice you're sick of hearing

That Hoarder: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding

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It’s the 150th episode, and I’ve got a special one for you. I’m tackling the 13 pieces of hoarding advice that you're really tired of hearing, and I’m hitting them head on! We've all been on the receiving end of well-meaning but utterly unhelpful advice when it comes to hoarding. From "just get rid of it" to "you're being lazy"… the list goes on. They may seem harmless, but they often overlook the emotional complexities and serious mental health challenges faced by people who hoard. Most importantly, I explain why these pieces of advice do more harm than good. Oversimplified solutions just won't cut it when it comes to overcoming hoarding disorder.

• Terrible Hoarding Advice
• "Just get rid of it" underestimates the emotional attachment
• Emotional attachment to possessions
• Overwhelming nature of such advice
• "It's just stuff" overlooks the significance of possessions
• The significance of possessions to hoarders
• Dismissal of the emotional connection to items
• "Get rid of things that don't spark joy" oversimplified and doesn't consider complexities
• Oversimplification of the decluttering process
• Failure to recognise the complexities of hoarding disorder
• Blaming hoarders for being lazy, weak, or selfish is not helpful
• Stress and shame reinforcement
• The impact of negative reinforcement on mental health
• Telling hoarders to be embarrassed or ashamed is counterproductive
• Exacerbation of hoarding tendencies
• Implications for mental health and stigma
• "Just get a skip" advice may create time pressure, anxiety, and public display
• Pressure and anxiety for hoarders
• Public display of possessions and potential distress
• Cleaning up a hoarder's space without consent creates mistrust and anxiety
• Impact on trust and mental well-being
• Reinforcement of trauma responses
• Suggesting to sell or have a yard/car boot sale oversimplifies things
• Complexity of hoarding disorder
• Dismissal of mental health issues
• Decluttering advice of doing one room a day or week underestimates the difficulty
• Emotional challenges of decision-making
• Complexity of hoarding disorder
• Three piles for keep, give away, and throw away is not effective as stand-alone advice
• Emotional attachment and decision-making
• Complexity of decluttering for hoarders
• Telling someone to try harder and give 100% effort at all times is unrealistic
• Unrealistic expectations and burnout
• Impact on mental health and sustainability
• Long-term and complex nature of decluttering
• Understanding the complexity of the process
• Mental and emotional focus of decluttering
• Hoarding as a Complex Process
• Comparison of decluttering to a marathon
• The endurance required for decluttering
• Criticism of advice containing the word "just"
• Casual dismissal of hoarding tendencies
• Encouragement to reconsider using "hoarder" casually
• Impact on stigma and understanding
• Consider emotional attachment in addressing hoarding issues.
• Hoarding disorder is complex and deeply personal.
• Blaming hoarders reinforces shame and hinder recovery.
• Skips can be a stressful solution.
• Car boot sale: a communal yard sale.
• Oversimplifying, dismissing mental health issues - not helpful.
• Avoid burnout by pacing and considering emotions.
• Simplify, declutter, and be mindful of health.
• Reconsider comparing mild mess to hoarding.
• Advice to declutter doesn't consider emotional attachment; drastic approach may cause fear and anxiety.
• Hoarding disorder is complex, possessions hold deep meaning, and one-size-fits-all approaches don't work.
• Blaming hoarding on laziness is unhelpful and untrue.
• Using skips as a solution for decluttering can create anxiety for some as it puts their possessions on public display.
• Car boot sales are similar to yard sales, with people selling items from their car boots in a car park on Sundays. Sellers might not get much for their cherished items.
• Avoid burnout by pacing efforts for long-term decluttering, including handling emotionally charged items with care.
• Casual use of mental health terms.
• Hoarding is not just about having too much stuff; it affects emotions and living conditions.
• Avoid comparing mild mess to hoarding.