Dr LeCrone
05-31-2006, 01:35 PM
Do you live among clutter? Do you accumulate and never sort out or discard?
If so, test yourself. You may be surprised to find that you are a clutter-bug.
• I have trouble throwing "junk mail" away--because I am afraid that I might need some of the information or an advertisement it contains. I just let it stack up.
• My closet is full of clothes for all seasons and all occasions--including many articles which are outgrown, have rips and tears, or obviously out of date.
• I often save leftovers in my refrigerator thinking I will use them at another meal, but I don't--sometimes the fridge smells like the city dump as the food has deteriorated.
• I love knick-knacks, pictures, statues, and keepsakes--and they fill every nook and cranny in my home. Friends have commented in a way that makes me think they disapprove.
• I often buy two or three pieces of the same item--knowing full well that one is all I need. But I rationalize that they are for "future use."
• My attic, garage, closets, and drawers are crammed. If I took a snapshot of them, it could be used as an advertisement for a garage sale or a flea market.
If you have answered affirmatively to several of the above, then you may be a "clutter-bug," a hoarder, or simply a pack rat. Unlike real collectors who are organized and who classify their possessions, clutter-bugs usually do not think they have a problem, even when their affinity for keeping, collecting, and rarely discarding may be a problem for those they live with.
In their extreme form, clutter-bugs may reach the magnitude of becoming hoarders. Hoarders may live in a world of such chaos that their problem is diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive disorder. The hoarding is a pathological attempt on their part to control pervasive anxiety. Others, such as clutter-bugs, stop short of real hoarding. But they have difficulty with letting go of outdated unusable things and simply feel the need to collect and save. They are the pack rats, savers of things that most people declare surplus, or of little value or are purposeless. Whether a hoarder or a compulsive saver, the habits of these individuals may get out of control. They may go from being collectors as part of a hobby to being like a junk dealer who has no thought of ever letting go. They may simply feel a strong sentimental attachment to articles and refuse to part with them. Usually, friends and family can tell the clutter-bug when they have exceeded the boundaries of acceptability, but getting them to change is often difficult.
Next week we will continue to talk about the habits of these clutter-bugs and offer some suggestions for helping them.
Copyright c 1997 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.
If so, test yourself. You may be surprised to find that you are a clutter-bug.
• I have trouble throwing "junk mail" away--because I am afraid that I might need some of the information or an advertisement it contains. I just let it stack up.
• My closet is full of clothes for all seasons and all occasions--including many articles which are outgrown, have rips and tears, or obviously out of date.
• I often save leftovers in my refrigerator thinking I will use them at another meal, but I don't--sometimes the fridge smells like the city dump as the food has deteriorated.
• I love knick-knacks, pictures, statues, and keepsakes--and they fill every nook and cranny in my home. Friends have commented in a way that makes me think they disapprove.
• I often buy two or three pieces of the same item--knowing full well that one is all I need. But I rationalize that they are for "future use."
• My attic, garage, closets, and drawers are crammed. If I took a snapshot of them, it could be used as an advertisement for a garage sale or a flea market.
If you have answered affirmatively to several of the above, then you may be a "clutter-bug," a hoarder, or simply a pack rat. Unlike real collectors who are organized and who classify their possessions, clutter-bugs usually do not think they have a problem, even when their affinity for keeping, collecting, and rarely discarding may be a problem for those they live with.
In their extreme form, clutter-bugs may reach the magnitude of becoming hoarders. Hoarders may live in a world of such chaos that their problem is diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive disorder. The hoarding is a pathological attempt on their part to control pervasive anxiety. Others, such as clutter-bugs, stop short of real hoarding. But they have difficulty with letting go of outdated unusable things and simply feel the need to collect and save. They are the pack rats, savers of things that most people declare surplus, or of little value or are purposeless. Whether a hoarder or a compulsive saver, the habits of these individuals may get out of control. They may go from being collectors as part of a hobby to being like a junk dealer who has no thought of ever letting go. They may simply feel a strong sentimental attachment to articles and refuse to part with them. Usually, friends and family can tell the clutter-bug when they have exceeded the boundaries of acceptability, but getting them to change is often difficult.
Next week we will continue to talk about the habits of these clutter-bugs and offer some suggestions for helping them.
Copyright c 1997 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.