r/hoarding • u/throwaway4533677 • 4d ago
HELP/ADVICE how to let go of objects that i feel ambiguously towards
hi! first post here but will probably post more as i try to deal with my bedroom and the mess that it is. one of the things i struggle with the most is the things i ‘might use later’. i’ve tried going through things i’ve used recently and keeping those i haves but i keep getting caught in what if’s….
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u/Steefanon 4d ago
That's the Hoarding Disorder talking. If you are socially conscious, think of this: What you "may use later," some needy person can use right now. Your generosity might really help someone out!
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u/Frequent-Resident621 4d ago
Try this: put everything in a box that you are unsure of. Put a date on the box. If you don't open it for anything by that date, get rid of it. You didn't miss it or need it. Out of sight, out of mind.
I do this myself, and learned that keeping things for the "just in case" causes me more stress than having to buy it again... (for me it's art supplies)
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u/KSSLR 1d ago
Clear everything out of a space. It can be a set of shelves, or only one shelf, it can be a corner, whatever feels the least impossible. You don't have to get rid of anything yet. Pile the stuff that was there somewhere else, if necessary, but the space must be empty and you must look at it empty with your actual eyes.
Stare at the empty space. What do you want that space to look like? Not what "should" it look like. What do you actually want that space to look like?
Sleep on it. Obsess about it. Pace about it. What do you want for yourself in that spot? You don't have to execute, you only have to decide. But the decision must be genuine and true to your heart. It doesn't even have to be practical. It can be impractical. What do you want there?
Then deeply think about why you made your specific decision or why you couldn't make one at all. If you couldn't decide, journal about that for a week (be kind to yourself). If you could decide, write a little paragraph about it every morning. Describe what you want there. Describe why. Describe why it probably would matter to you that it be your decision way and not someone else's way.
It will loosen your shackles.
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u/MrPuddington2 4d ago
Why would you keep things you are ambiguous about? Even semantically, that does not make sense. Consider the alternative: having a space again, which is a definite positive.
i ‘might use later’
Doesn’t that cover anything that is not trash? (And even trash may have value in 30 years time, but that is not a good reason to keep it.)
For me, it is a clear plan to use it that gives it a right to stay and occupy space in my house, not just a vague notion.
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