Is Your Love a Hoarder? Three Ways You Can Help
Posted on: 28 August 2019
Hoarding exposes your loved one to dangerous living conditions that take over the home and their life. This condition gives rise to unsanitary conditions that leave people prone to potential household accidents. If your friend's hoarding habits are disturbing, you cannot force them to get better. Instead, create a supportive environment that nudges your loved one towards seeking help with the three tips below.
Focus on the Individual, Not the Clutter
Helping someone with a hoarding problem is frustrating and emotionally draining; it often leaves family members and friends feeling like they are swimming against the tide. In fact, those closest to the hoarder are likely to harbour feelings of resentment, confusion, shame or anger, the perfect recipe for strained relationships.
Assisting your love is more complex than going into their home and throwing out everything in sight. While this approach leaves you feeling better, it is likely to feel very violating to your friend. As long as you don't address the underlying issues that lead to hoarding, you have not addressed the situation. In fact, your loved one is more likely to resume hoarding a short time after you have left. In addition, don't offer to store the items.
Create Achievable Goals and Celebrate Small Steps
If your parent or loved one is ready to take on the de-cluttering process, encourage the resolution by identifying a single area that needs cleaning. This means starting from something as small as a drawer, a box or a room. Getting rid of a single item each week will also encourage your loved one to stick to the process.
While clearing out a stack of paper might take longer than three hours, the effort feels monumental to your friend. In fact, it may leave him or her leaving exhausted. Creating manageable goals with your loved one helps them build their confidence and increase cleaning momentum, and they will have ownership of the progress they are making.
Get Professional Help
Hoarding is linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety, and it may occur in individuals who have experienced serious trauma. Hoarding disorder may be an indicator that your loved one has problems with disorganization, indecision or difficulty concentrating. At an emotional level, consider reaching out to a qualified therapist so you have information ready when the hoarder is ready to let go. Consider hiring professional hoarder cleaning services. These professionals can handle the situation with compassion and sensitivity. They also bag up and remove items before restoring your loved one's home to a healthy, clean environment.
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