Hoarder's Anonymous, Part 6

[Solo]

Well, here we are embarking upon part 6 of our epic journey of sorting out our homes.

We are a varied group of likeminded householders that are leading somewhat challenging lives; be that living with too much 'stuff' that we find difficult to deal with, houses that are falling apart (mine included), health issues within the family unit, wider family, or ourselves that makes sorting out our households challenging, to say the least. So...

Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for support, adding their own ideas to help others out, storage ideas, even tips on actually getting those items out of the house which sounds so simple when you say it. Encouragement abounds here, and we do not criticise. EVER! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, don't know where to start, can't be bothered but really do want to be bothered...think you are lazy, just need to see it in print here...we'll help. We'll virtually fist bump your achievements - small or large, and virtually hug you when the need arises, and if you want a hug, just ask because we are here for you. Here for one another because we get it - the highs and the lows, the art of washing up is sometimes our great achievement of the day, but it's still an achievement.

Welcome to thread #6 of Hoarders Anonymous - Carrying On Sorting It Out

HERE

Depressing lack of progress here. I am so exhausted (heat doesn’t help) and cannot seem to get started. I have made a few new recipes recently which brings joy. However I’ve killed so many plants by forgetting to water them in the heat. Laundry is not too bad, more than a molehill but not yet a mountain. Dishwasher is going on every day but not usually at the optimal time (evening is best). No progress whatsoever on clearing the vast quantities of clutter though I have put quite a few books in the charity shop box (which is very likely to still be sitting in my lounge in a year’s time). I did chuck out loads of my old business cards from a previous job. It seems so wasteful but they are never going to become useful again so no point in hanging onto them (except a couple for sentimental reasons…).

@DownUdderer we’ve got family houseguests this weekend so I’ve been panic cleaning and tidying too. The room of doom had to be cleared a lot and I’ve got it to a state where you can walk around the bed and I’ve got the bedside light working. Which I’m proud of (but we can barely get in the garage and I’ve found so much I thought we’d got rid of years ago!). It has been hard and draining but aslobcomesclean podcasts have kept me going - and help me to look at it as my own personal before and after, it doesn’t need to be perfect, it’s all progress.

@Miaowse thanks for the reminder to water my garden plants, even though they’re used to the survival of the fittest culture here the conditions have been extreme and I don’t want the outside to be terrible when I’ve worked so hard inside.

Wish me luck keeping my mind over the weekend. I love the houseguests very much and they will visit my hoarding parent too so they will recognise my ‘after’ is better. I just hope they feel welcome and looked after.

I've had the kids home for two weeks for school holidays, they're back at school on Tuesday. I'll be glad to head towards routine again.

I'm managing to keep up with laundry quite well this week. I'm pleased with that. I'm keeping most houseplants happy at the moment and that's nice.

Some things I'm not on top of but I'll get there.

I got in and did a small tidy of my daughters room on the weekend. Her room is a tip but I've been in a stalemate with her because I wanted her to help me tidy. I want to teach her some tidying skills. Anyway she helped a bit and I did a bit, no arguments. A small step in the right direction.

DownUdderer Well done. Every step, is another step forward.

Wiil try and read and catch up better later.

Well done to all making progress, and sympathies to all currently stuck! The heat is certainly not particularly helpful, I think it makes most of us sluggish.

Problematic neighbors did go on holiday, which has helped reduce stress a bit now, much needed as in the middle of a Chron’s flare up which I need to get under control.
Before they went, they did something stupid that meant I had to buy fence posts and panels, and get part of a new fence up urgently while they made things difficult. Financial damage and while we sort of managed it, it isn’t good or finished, and will have to be re done. I lost a week flat on my back in extreme pain trying to recover. A small bag of rubble and some greenery went just before that, and just after, a few more bags of greenery out, but it’s still mainly growing faster than I can cut it back.

Too many areas of life out of control currently, but working on solutions, before it all crashes.

I’ve been trying to work through the Overcoming Hoarding CBT book, with some difficulties. I can see the theory of it and how it could be useful in changing mindsets, but it’s illuminated another blooming issue I wasn’t aware of.

You need to identify how you feel when doing specific tasks. I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know if I do feel, or if I’ve been taught and taught myself to ignore my personal feelings to such a point it’s now embedded
Am going to venture onto the main boards to ask advice from those who know about CBT.

I urgently need to make mental progress if at all possible, as in two weeks’ time, I’m tackling reducing the storage situation as best I can. I have ten days with some help, and it’s the best chance I’m likely to get, so …

I’m very scared tbh. Both about the reality of how I manage myself so I can keep going physically, and how to manage the ‘help’ who is doing it under duress but actually does owes it!

...and the fear of possible levels of failure.

@Elleherd I have 7 days for a big push (really just 5 because I’m trying to do fun stuff with DC on 2) but I’m just struggling so much to make progress. Illness last week is lingering which hasn’t helped.

All progress is progress but I’d really like to tackle the ‘trash layer’ this week then I’ve got a charity donation pick up booked on 9 August that I want to make the most of.
I desperately want to make some space that enables me to gradually get organised all around.
Sending you strength and wishing you luck.

Also - I don’t know how I feel either @Elleherd - that really resonated with me!

I've tried my best today to stay focused and get on top of some cleaning and laundry. I've done quite well. I'm pretty slow going, I like to listen to a podcast while I'm cleaning.

Arghh! I thought I'd posted a few days ago, but it looks like it's now on a 'recovered' word doc somewhere and I didn't!
So for now condensed version is: Finite Sagacity hope things have gone well, and well done DownUdderer.
In a bit of a rush as today has brought suprise possible help so seizing the moment and trying to clear part of garden of accumulated stuff and remains of builders rubbish.

I keep starting posts then deleting as I have embarrassingly little progress to share.

Hooray for surprise help, Elleherd hope you get a big chunk of stuff done.

@Miaowse I think the point of this group is that you shouldn’t be embarrassed at slow progress. I’ve had over 10 days off work but DC are off school and so I’ve managed what feels like a little - but it’s all progress. I feel like my head is in the right place for once - but how I can hold onto that when I’ve got to be back at work, no idea.

Thank you - you’re right of course. Being in the right headspace makes a huge difference.

I’m still slowly decluttering books. Another couple in the charity shop box this week.

@Elleherd I hope surprise help has meant progress.

I’ve managed a trip to the Household Recycling Centre and my big win was putting bags into the clothing bank that I sorted ages ago without re-examining every item which is massive for me. Just reducing the number of decisions I needed to make.

@DownUdderer I have an ultra rare day with no one else in the house. I am trying to tackle a child’s room and not squander the time. Maybe if I can make progress, the child will be more motivated to keep it nice… we can only hope.

Checking back in for sympathy.

It's been hell. Fly hell.

One outbreak of medium flies that breed on dead vegetation.

ONe outbreak from one large housefly that got in when I had COVID. 20 orthirty flies buzzing round the kitchen over the period of a couple of days.

One of them has escaped and another batch of flies are escaping.

We also have millions of fruit flies

I have spent the day moving stuff off the windowsill and work surface and trying to get round to filling the gap between window and wall where I think they are coming from in the wall. Only time will tell if it has worked. They may be breeding between wall and cupboards.

I am at weeping stage as kids have been brought home early with no tea, for good reason but even so.

I have no cooker as it is buried under the washing up and stuff from the windowsill. The draining board is hosting a tomato plant. It will be a tin of curry for tea. Or cous cous.

Oh and I have not been on for ages aswe have been just surviving.

Had COVID, again, officially this time And various other stuff going on.

@BlackeyedSusan what a nightmare. I once had flies and eventually discovered that my boyfriend at that time had let some fishing bait maggots escape and they had pupated (if that’s the right term) under the oven. It was hideous trying to eradicate them and you’re recovering too - sending you strength and light.

I’ve got a houseplant at the moment that seems to be a bit too welcoming to tiny flies and I’m trying diatomaceous earth, which I read can help - but I think I need to remember to keep topping it up. After I’d bought it, having read that it is a non-poison/‘safe’ option I’ve now read that it isn’t very environmentally friendly as it’s a finite resource, so I’m totally conflicted about recommending it. Definitely try some fly paper to catch some of them though.

I managed to clear the child’s desk and fill my recycling bin which is collected tomorrow so a relatively productive day for me.

Well done on the recycling.

Decorators caulk squeezed into the gap now. Emergency tea made. Washing hung.

@BlueSummerBaby 'I need strategies and to change myself, I think. Just changing the home isn't enough'. THIS! 🙌 💯

@Elleherd I hope you’re not in so much pain anymore

You got it right 😉 That was the link that I was talking about! I just wasn’t sure if it was the full version of the book or not. Thank you for clarifying that! 🤗

Also, thank you for elaborating on your specialist’s advice. I get where he/she is coming from but personally I prefer the approach of David Allen who believes that keeping everything in our memory is extremely overwhelming and counterproductive, whereas making lists for every project you’re working on (no matter how small/trivial) is a much easier way to streamline your tasks, and stay focused.

@FiniteSagacity I’ve never heard of A Slob Comes Clean before, so thank you for the recommendation! 🙏

@BlackeyedSusan I'm so sorry to hear your news! Hopefully, the situation improves soon!

@Miaowse I’ve been keeping all of my old business cards out of sentiment 🙊 Well done for being able to throw away most of them! 👍

Please don’t abstain from posting here due to little or no progress! We’re here not just for reporting our results but also for opening up about times when our decluttering is halted for whatever reason. Whichever step of your journey you’re on right now, it is all part of it, and is equally important.

And to support this notion, I am going to confess that July was a complete write-off for me – I’ve made ZERO progress, and was rather sluggish with my routines, too. The reason being that I was ill since July 2nd for 20 days straight, coughing my guts out, and suffering from a very sore throat (it wasn’t COVID), and I still feel very weak and dizzy 😞

Not much progress here as I have been at my parents house a lot to spend time with my daughter due to work and being a long drive from home.

Doing quite good with dishes (not having sink full).

Thinking about making lists to help me get organised.

Thank you all for being such a supportive bunch.

CherryMargo really hope you are feeling more yourself now and the cough has fully cleared up. You have put so many good systems in place that you’ll be able to get back into the rhythm once you feel well enough.

TalkToTheHand123 keeping on top of the dishes is great! I usually feel much more optimistic if dishes and laundry are happening every day. Love a good list too!

BlackeyedSusan I can hardly imagine how awful that must have been, hope the caulk has sealed them in and you don’t get any recurrence. Someone I know had a bluebottle problem & it turned out to be a dead bird in an unused chimney. How are you feeling after COVID? Hope the recovery is speedy and there are no lingering problems.

FiniteSagacity shuddering at your fly story too, hope it didn’t scar you for life!! Very impressed you filled your recycling bin before bin day. Last week our brown bin was empty and due for collection, I had grand plans to spend an hour gardening to fill it but I just sat on my butt instead. No motivation…

Elleherd did you have a productive day when you had the unexpected help? I think you have a plan to tackle your storage quite soon so I hope you’re feeling ok about that and you’re in the right headspace.

DownUdderer how are things in your household?

Sorry if I’ve missed anyone, I can’t go back a page or I’ll lose my post!

This thread is a good influence.

I’m reasonably on top of turning over the dishwasher each day but even so the sink tends to get filled up and manky. I’ve just dumped/washed/recycled the various things that don’t go in the dishwasher and given the sink a good scrub with stardrops. Now I have a bunch of jars soaking so they can be recycled once clean.

I also sorted the smelly black bin, and have half fillled the new bin bag already.

One load of laundry hung on the line and another ready to go on.

Not sure what to tackle next - so much to do it’s really hard to know where to start. I know the answer is just start anywhere but I get stuck.

Arse ...better go and start anything really.