Leap into action.

Hello, how are you today? Me I'm feeling a little flat.
I had really mentally geared myself up this weekend to start organizing and tidying my hoard. I'm a great thinker and can spend many hours mentally plotting, planning and shifting things in my home, but when it comes down to the actual brass tacks of doing the work this is where I falter.
Again I've spent many hours thinking about this ... notice a pattern yet?
I wonder to myself am I lazy? Am I the worlds greatest procrastinator or if I do actually love being smothered in mountains of stuff.

Now if you are a non hoarder at this stage you may be thinking "get of the computer and just get on with it" but to my hoarders mind it really isn't that easy. Hand on heart I have tried to sort - organise and declutter my home on numerous occasions during the last 5 years.
In reality I've probably expended enough energy shuffling items from space to space to clean and clear two houses.

So whats the big deal? Well I'll tell you. 

My home is like a giant elastic band ball or a record breaking ball of string!

Have you ever watched the TV program Record Breakers as a kid? Or flicked through a Guinness World Records Book? I remember seeing a giant elastic (or rubber band) ball that someone had collected and built over the years. It was huge! Thousands and thousands of tightly intertwined and woven bands that made up a giant ball ... it was bigger than a man! It was impressive!
 
So now I can hear you all thinking "Seriously what is the woman on about"
Let me explain ...
Each and everyone of my rooms is cover in vast layers of possessions. Some are mine, some are my child's. Some are things that belonged to relatives who have passed away and some are just items that have no real home. 
I often think in a normal persons mind: and let make it clear when I say normal I'm not accusing myself or other hoarders of being weird or slightly cuckoo! By normal I mean naturally possessing the ability or skill to tidy, clear and compartmentalize items in a logical and tidy way.

Anyway back to the record breaking ball - if I asked you to unravel the giant ball, to find the end of the bands or string would you be able to instantly do it? Or do you think you would roll the ball around and around, picking and pull at layers that may possibly hold the end?  After expending lots of energy you may be no further forward so you feel irritated or frustrated because you know the end is there somewhere but you just cant quite find it!
Any rational person at this point would roll the ball to one side take a mental breather and tackle the task later on.

So this in my mind is the hoarders dilemma. We are faced with a big ball of tangled, tightly wound possessions. We don't know where the start is and where the end is. From personal experience I can tell you, my mind scans all the objects in front of me, but I do not see individual items that need putting away, I see one massive ball of mess and I quickly feel physically and emotionally overwhelmed.
I genuinely can not prioritize which is the most important task to do or where to start ... so like that endless ball of string once again it gets rolled to the side until I feel strong enough to tackle the task.

If you are a hoarder you may be wondering how do we combat this, if you are a relative or friend of a hoarder you may feel extremely frustrated at the lack of movement or progress when a hoarder is trying to sort. 
I urge you (and myself) to think of that ball of string, what on the surface should seem like an easy enough job is actually an incredibly complex task.

Eventually I will get to the end of the mess and eventually I will get to the end of the string.

At the end of the day I didn't create my hoard in a matter of minutes, days or weeks. It has been a long labor of love or hate depending how you look at it, but I acknowledge that until I pick up the end of the string and start unraveling it will all stay there forever.

So today I'm going to try and take a deep breath and pick one item up. It doesn't matter if its a magazine. A plastic bottle for recycling or one of my child's toys .... its the end of the string and each item that finds a home or is donated to charity or thrown away is slowly unwinding that ball.


If you are a fellow hoarder I hope you can eventually find the end of the string, if you care about or live with a hoarder just think of the giant ball and try and visualize the task ahead and the complexity of our problem. 

So for my final thoughts.
Today is a Leap Year the 29th of February.
I'm not going to waste this extra day ... I'm stepping away from the computer, I'm closing off my deep and meaningful thoughts and I'm off to find the end of my string! 

I hope your day is good and thanks for listening to an Untidy Mind.



 

All are welcome here!

 I've never had a blog before, I've never really followed a blog ... So when a lovely lady suggested "why not start your own blog" my stomach was filled with butterfly's and fear all at the same time!
I turned to the one person in our home who is 'genned' up with all things modern (my 10 year old daughter) and here was the advice she gave " just write as if you are talking to someone you know mummy" So here I am - a friend yet to be discovered, a shoulder yet to be leaned on and troubles yet to be shared.

So what is this wonderful Blog going to be about?

 

In essence it's all about stuff!

Not beauty tips
Not the latest gossip from the stars
Not even how to create a wonderful meal from the leftovers in your fridge


Nope, its the stuff that is in my home (and maybe yours) stuff that is blocking my life.
Stuff that I have padded and wound around myself for safety and protection.
Stuff that on many occasions has tried to drown me, trip me or fall upon my head!
Stuff that completely evades me and often drives me to the point of utter distraction!

So I will say it out loud ... It is not really my stuff ... It is actually my Hoard!

Now it is often said that admitting the problem is half the battle: but if you are a fellow hoarder you will know that simply isn't true.
Hoarding is a complex, confusing, self protective (often self destructive) situation that we find ourselves in.
It is often frowned upon and misunderstood. Glorified and vilified by media, it's often thought of as strange and fascinating to outside 'viewers' but if you are a hoarder it can ultimately be a very lonely and isolating 'illness'.

As a single mum with a child at home, I currently want to write my blog anonymously.
Not because I am ashamed of being a hoarder,  just that I want to express my thoughts, hopes and wishes without being judged to harshly and hopefully in return I can offer you the same.

So here is my first post - I don't profess to have any expert knowledge.
 I don't organise homes, give professional advice on hoarding or advocate any particular groups or authorities. I'm just a normal person with a small voice hoping to be heard, a hoarder who wants a little room to breath.

As my blogging journey grows, I will show you my hoard, and any solutions that work for me.
If you are in a similar situation it would be great to hear from you, there is strength and power in numbers and maybe together we can find a little peace of mind and a little room to breath - many thanks for an Untidy Mind.