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Are you a pack-rat? What about a hoarder? Does your heart race when you see people throw out newspapers, magazines, or old furniture? Do you have material items from the 1980s or 1960s? Have you sold your house but still haven’t completely moved out? If any of this sounds like you, hoarding could bury you alive.
Hoarding is serious and shouldn’t be taken lightly. People have issues with hoarding for many reasons. For example, those who grew up during the depression tend to be hoarders and or pack rats. They hold onto to material items and stuff refrigerators, freezers, and pantries with food because they fear not having enough. There is truly enough.
On a personal note, my father (deceased) and a few of my ‘older’ relatives are/were pack rats. They can’t and won’t throw anything out such as string, nails, dishes, old newspapers, containers, etc. because they believe something could be used at a later date. My father would leave his birthday and Christmas gifts in the box with the wrapping paper still on it; the tissue paper still in the box. He believed the wrapping and tissue paper could be reused, even though my mom would buy new wrapping paper every year (sales). My mom eventually stopped by new wrapping paper.
7 Ways Hoarding Buries You Alive
1. Strains family and other relationships.
2. No one wants to come over to see you; you become isolated.
3. Your home begins to smell from rotten food and or animal feces — it becomes unsanitary and unsafe.
4. If you hoard animals, you do them more harm than good. Animal control will remove the animals. Some of them will be euthanized; others will be placed in foster homes to be nursed back to health. Healthy animals go up for adoption straightaway. It’s not fair to the helpless animals.
5. You feel you need to acquire more and keep accumulating stuff.
6. You become angry and bitter because the people who love you want to help — they want you to change. But you can’t admit you have a problem; therefore, don’t want to change.
7. You’re setting your children and or grandchildren up for a life of hoarding. Remember, children learn from the actions and words of the adults in their lives. They could grow up to ‘mimic’ your hoarding habits. Do you really want that life for them? How would it benefit them? How would they live a happy, healthy life as a hoarder?
If you or someone you know suffers from hoarding, please get help. There’s no shame in hoarding — all of us have had to face something in our lives. Admitting you need help is the first step. If the people who love you want and offer help, take it. You’re very lucky to have people who love and care about you. They want you to live a happy, fulfilled life — you deserve to live a happy, fulfilled life.
Rebecca
Related articles
- Confessions: Animal Hoarding on Animal Planet Tonight (animals.change.org)
- Children of Hoarders (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Top 10 Signs That You Are a Hoarder (emtoast.com)
- Dirty Little Secret: Help for Children of Hoarders (psychcentral.com)
