You May Be a Hoarder and Not Know It
You want your home to be a peaceful end to your busy day. When you walk in the front door, do you feel clutter crowding in, or are you simply grateful to be home? If upon entering your home, you feel overwhelmed with an entirely new “to-do” list, it may be time to simplify and stop hoarding! Imagine having less stuff to clean up, walk around, and put away.
Up to 5% of the world displays clinical hoarding behavior! Stressful life events can trigger symptoms of hoarding. According to the Mayo Clinic, hoarding tendencies start around ages 11–15 and worsen with age. There is hope and treatment for hoarder disorder. Make sure to get you or your loved one the help they need to start a life of recovery.
Now, you are probably not in the 5% population. You may simply feel stress and anxiety when you look around at things you have collected over the years. Do not let fear of not knowing where to begin stop you. We can all use a sweep through the house to declutter things we have been putting off. This list will help you get in gear and move you towards your end goal of making your home a sanctuary that replenishes your soul.
Here are 5 ways to simplify your life and have a more peaceful home.
1. Give one item away a day! Colleen Madsen at 365 Less Things gives away one item each day. She has experienced a life changing difference in her home by simply reducing her stuff one day at a time. The transformation she shares in her book will encourage anyone looking to simplify.
2. Play the game “fill a trash bag” with your family. One way to make a habit stick is to have fun! Once a week, Trash Bag Tuesday, someone grabs a trash bag and you all set a timer to fill it with the “stuff” you have been meaning to give away or throw away. This unites the entire family and makes it fun to release items you just don’t need anymore.
3. Snap photographs of each room in your house. Gather the family around to brainstorm how they want to feel in each room. Then share the pictures and ask each member what they feel when they see the picture. Then create a 10 day plan for each room. Some areas may require more time. The goal to get everyone to buy into the emotions they want to feel in specific rooms, to create unity as you all work toward the family goal.
4. Invite a puppy or toddler over for a visit! This one may sound odd but having a child or puppy in your home helps you notice the clutter you may be overlooking as you move through life. Clutter does something to our bodies. We feel more stress when clutter is all around us. It takes time from our relationships, conversations, and overall happiness.
5. The Four-Box Method is an excellent technique many use to declutter an area. Find four boxes: trash, give-away, keep, and relocate. Move through every room in your home and place items into one of the four categories. No item should be passed over. This project may take hours or days. When doing this with children, they are able to learn a lifelong organization skill that will serve them for a lifetime.
No matter where you are on the minimalist journey, the idea is to build excitement as you simplify your home. Once you experience the freedom of less “stuff” you will want to take it to a new level.
These tips are brought to your by the OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory®.
