Are you unsure if you are a hoarder? Here are some indicators that you might be a hoarder. These are some typical hoarding tendencies to be on the lookout for.
Most people have seen those hoarders’ reality television shows where their house is overrun with trash, their stove and toilet don’t work, and there are mice. or other animals that are decaying and dead, buried beneath years’ worth of trash and dirt.
But hoarding doesn’t just appear overnight; it typically begins in a person’s late teens or early twenties and, if left untreated, deteriorates over time.
Early on, it might be challenging to determine if you are a hoarder, but over time, the symptoms become increasingly obvious.
Here are some warning signs to watch out for if you are concerned that you may be a hoarder.
Some Areas Of Your Home Cannot Be Used Due To Clutter
It’s not necessary for the mess to fill the room for it to be an issue.
It could begin with something small, like the tops of your stands or your kitchen countertops filling up with “stuff” to the point where they are no longer functional.
Clutter will start to fill up the house more and more as the hoarding condition gets worse.
You should take into account that you might have at least a mild hoarding problem if there are areas of your home that are unusable due to clutter and you just can’t bring yourself to clean these areas.
You Frequently Stock Up On Items You Don’t Actually Need
If your refrigerator is filled to the brim with tiny packages of ketchup from fast food orders that you will never use, you may be a hoarder.
Or you may be preserving USB cords from obsolete technology.
There might also be other things that you don’t need and aren’t likely to need anytime soon.
You might begin stocking up on just one useless item, but before you know it, you’ve acquired an increasing number of useless items.
You Notice That You Frequently Buy Things Just Because They Are On Sale
Many of the clothes some people own still have their tags on, but even so, when they see something on sale, they immediately buy it because of the lower price.
The same is true for other items that people buy when they see them on sale, such as paper plates, plastic cups, shoes, wrapping paper, and baskets.
You didn’t buy the item because you needed it or wanted it; rather, you did so because you saw the “sale” sign and couldn’t resist.
You Keep Losing Important Things In The Clutter
You constantly misplace important items like your car keys, cash, wallet, or important papers because your home is such a disorganized mess and is overrun with clutter.
You start to avoid putting anything down out of concern that you won’t ever find it again.
You Are Too Overwhelmed To Even Begin Cleaning A Small Portion Of Your Home
You are aware that your home needs to be cleaned or at the very least organized because it is a disorganized mess.
But as you survey the mess, you experience a suffocating sense of total overwhelm, as if making the effort is simply beyond your capacity.
You should seek help for your hoarding problem if you attempt to clean up even a small area and experience severe anxiety while doing so.
You’re Concerned About Discarding The Wrong Things
You instinctively know that you need to clean up, but you tend to become paralyzed by the worry that you will throw the wrong things away, so you decide against doing so.
You are already stressed out by the clutter in your home, but the thought of throwing away something significant makes you feel even more stressed.
Hoarders frequently report feeling stressed all the time.
Your Attachment To Things Seems Irrational
You have formed an abnormal attachment to your possessions if you begin to believe that keeping something in your home will prevent you from going into a state of depression or cause you to experience grief.
You become defensive if someone touches a piece of paper or discards even the smallest bit of leftover food because you are so terrified of losing even one item.
You might even start to worry that visitors will take or damage a valuable item because you won’t be able to unwind for a moment.
You Are So Ashamed Of The State Of Your House That You Won’t Let Service People Do The Necessary Repairs
If your refrigerator, stove, washing machine, or toilet needs repair but you refuse to let the repairmen into your home because you feel embarrassed, you might be a hoarder.
Your safety and health are more at risk as hoarding gets worse.
Hoarding frequently results in filthy conditions that could be harmful to your health.
Family Members Are Expressing Concern And Avoiding You Home
Have your grown children expressed concern about how messy, filthy, and dangerous your home has become and have they stopped bringing your grandchildren over?
Do your younger kids whine about not being able to invite friends over or have them stay the night?
If so, then those are indications that you might be a hoarder.
Final Words
In actuality, if you are doubting whether you are a hoarder and are dealing with any of the issues listed here, you are already ahead of the game because you are aware that you might have a problem.
You need a psychologist with specialized training in helping hoarding sufferers if you want to overcome your hoarding problem. You also need help cleaning up your home.
Before your hoarding problem gets worse, you might be able to control it by seeking help now.