The Epidemic of Hoarding in America

There is an epidemic that many of our loved ones have fallen prey to, and many of us may even be unknowing victims of it. Perhaps you even recognize that you have been infected by this potentially health-threatening disease. It has haunted Americans for more than a decade, and now there are people everywhere rising up to make America aware of the problem. It goes by many names, but its symptoms and manifestations are universal. Whether you call it messiness, business, storage, sentimental keep-saking, or laziness, it is in short hoarding. Hoarding is the act of stockpiling in secret. Did you know that there are 2 different names for the disease of a hoarder? Both of them end with "-phobia", which reveals to us that the root of hoarding is a fear.

What instills the fear in someone that stops them from letting go of items? It can be the fear of not having enough, the fear of being wasteful, the fear of offending the giver, the fear of losing a memory, the fear of emptiness, or just about any other reason one comes up with. In my personal experience, there were three different types of things that I hoarded. I have listed them and included their definitions:

Rubbish: worthless, unwanted material; nonsense.
Clutter: a state or condition of confusion; to fill or litter with things in a disorderly manner.
Trash: anything worthless or useless; to condemn.

Rubbish was anything that was silly to keep. It might be the not-so-beautiful figurine that was a Christmas gift, the sweater that I will never again fit into but cost a small fortune, the stockpiling of cosmetic supplies that I would never wear, fifteen of the same (or almost same) picture drawn and colored by my kids, or items that I might someday use, even if I hadn't managed to in the last two years. As the definition stated, having this rubbish around was nonsensical. Clutter was found on counter tops, in cabinets and drawers, and on shelves. It manifested itself as paperwork, knick knacks, clothing, and generally anything at all that I had an overabundance of in my home that added to my stress and confusion. Trash was both the simplest and the hardest to get rid of, as doing so admitted how foolish I was to still have it in the first place. This was the item I was going to fix, the expired coupons I still had on hand, and things of that nature. Trash used as a verb is "to condemn"; having that trash, rubbish, and clutter around me made me feel condemned and liberating myself from it has been amazing!

How does one vaccinate themselves against this epidemic? Or, more importantly, how does one treat an already infected life? The symptoms of a cluttered life extend well beyond a messy home. They include a chronic lack of punctuality, an inability to rest well, a vast assortment of emotions that are rather unpleasant to oneself and those surrounding, financial disaster, weight issues, and suffering relationships. Now that Oprah is on the ball to organize America with Peter Walsh, hoarding is becoming more identifiable. Peter's question, "Does this clutter make my butt look big?" has challenged women nationwide to examine their lifestyle. His book gives excellent steps to overcome the epidemic of being a hoarder.

However, I will venture forward and say that you can go where no one has gone before and overcome this on your own. You don't need to write into Oprah, you don't need to hire someone, and you don't need a television crew to motivate you. You simply need to decide that you are done. Done with hosting rubbish and trash, done collecting clutter, and done being the victim of an widespread epidemic. Make the right choices: if you don't have room for it or don't use it, get rid of it. If you don't need it, don't buy it. If you need it, but can't identify a place for it, either toss it or toss something else to make room for it. This is the beginning of a beautiful journey.

What is the best vaccination for the disease of hoarding? It is knowing your value. Understand that you are worth more, that you deserve to live a simplified life, that you deserve to be free of confusion-causing clutter, and rift-creating rubbish. Comprehend the truth that you should be able to be at peace in your home and life, and begin to create it with empty spaces that were once filled with nonsensical, clutter-causing things.