I remember the day about five years ago, when I stood in the living room of my first stranger-client (I call her that because she was my first client who found me on her own and who was not related to me or a friend, or a friend of a friend).
She had moved from a larger home to a two-level townhouse and she was in love with baskets, Longaberger Baskets to be exact, lots of them. She had moved several months prior, but the unopened boxes were overtaking her living space. During the consult she looked at me and with sincerity in her eyes asked, “Am I a hoarder?”
I was too young in my career to give a definitive professional answer, but I found out later that no, she wasn’t. She simply didn’t downsize properly and was dealing with overwhelm and avoidance--Very common reactions. But her question, I later found out, would be a common one clients ask.
Television shows inundate us with visions of true hoarders who cling to trash and treasure with the same extreme compulsion that we sometimes feel to our possessions. When it’s hard for us to let go or when we start “collecting” things, many of us start to wonder if we’ll soon have cameras documenting the narrow walkways in our homes.
Before you freak out and panic that you may also be labeled a hoarder, there’s something you should read first. A few years ago, I saved an article from my alumni magazine (Go Terps!).Below is a page from a true University of Maryland fan.In one room (man cave to be exact) Dennis Cyr truly pays homage to his alma
mater with organized collections in a room of red, gold and black. He is not a hoarder but a collector.
A hoarder according to Mayo Clinic: “Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs.”
Dennis Cyr is a true collector which Mayo Clinic describes in more detail: “People who have collections, such as stamps or model cars, deliberately search out specific items, categorize them and carefully display their collections. Although collections can be large, they aren't usually cluttered and they don't cause the distress and impairments that are part of hoarding disorder.”
Mr. Cyr displays his collection proudly and in an organized way that shows his love of UMD Football.
Are you showing your collection love? Or are they in unopened boxes? It’s time for spring cleaning. It’s time to let go of trash and display or store with honor things that are treasure.
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