Jeffrey Avery & Associates specialists for house clearance in London talk about compulsive hoarding……..
Compulsive hoarders often feel very alone when dealing with their condition, and often they feel ashamed of talking about it or simply scared to confront the issue and get help.
For this reason a psychologist in Edinburgh has set up a new support group to provide hoarders and anyone affected by hoarding with the help and support that they need so that they do not have to suffer in silence.
Martina Papmeyer has done lots of research into hoarding, and she recently established the Compulsive Hoarding Action Group Edinburgh (CHAaGE), as reported by STV. This is the first support group of its kind to provide support on a monthly basis to hoarders living in Scotland.
Now she has provided some helpful tips for hoarders to help them to get to terms with their condition and start to make progress. Although hoarding is not something which can be fixed quickly, there are some things that can help.
Some of the tips include the following:
Don’t take it too fast and throw everything out in one go. Instead, take it slowly, and give yourself half an hour each day to go through items and start to discard them. Also, when sorting through the items, only handle an item once and make an instant decision about whether to keep it or discard it.
Ask your GP about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), because this can be an excellent way to analyse the problem and get help.
As you are cleaning, try to imagine how great your home will be when the clutter is gone and all the things that you will be able to do.
Try to relax as you clean your home, which may include going for a walk and taking some time out.
Perhaps donate your items to charity as this will help you to feel better and to know that you are making use of them.
These are all things that can help the process, but perhaps the most important is to find a local support group, or if one is not available, visit an online forum such as Help for Hoarders. These are great places to get advice and they can also help you to realise that you are not alone.
For confidential advice call Jeffrey Avery on 0800 567 7769
