Originally written October 29, 2012 and revised the next day! Revised again, 14December2012
If my clutter actually made noise, I'd be deaf! How does stuff multiply seemingly invisibly?
Pic from "Why visual noise is destroying your life" By
and that's just paper, I've got everything stacked in boxes to the ceiling. One stack fell over the other day and it wasn't a loud crash, but more of a slow tumble, like it fell in slow motion. It was a sign to start clearing that room out again! Less blog therapy, more therapy action!
While looking for pics on visual noise, I found this tip and tried it:
TODAYS TIP - Think of each object left lying about as having a sound. If the sound is soft and pleasant leave it (a thriving plant for example). But if the sound is loud and distasteful (a wilted and dying one); get rid of it - put it away. Would you let noise disturb you constantly? Don't permit clutter do so either. Few of us are aware of just how much junk we have or how long we have had it. An organized space means a return to peace (and quiet). Tip from Karla Jones, your Professional Organizer
This is an interesting concept to try, except the clutter in my home is clutter on top of clutter and the noise is so loud, it's very difficult to hear if something is soft and pleasant. On top of it all, not only am I noise intolerant, but my over dose of clutter has taken over all my senses! As a recovering hoarder, my "self inflicted" visual noise is another challenge to overcome. I've bombarding myself from all directions and all my senses seem to have been dulled and/or buried!
I found
I also get the zap of electricity feeling in my brain like some of her commenters mentioned.
Going back to my first sentence about being deaf, my hoard seems to have made me deaf, dumb and blind! Feeling around in the dark is a very slow process because who knows what I might touch, bump into or knock over! Maybe it was more like feeling around in static!
I read this etsy blog post 119 days ago: Can Having Too Much Stuff Stress You Out?
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: in 2005, two archaeologists, a linguistic anthropologist and a photographer walk into an average American home. Yet this scenario played out when a unique group of UCLA-affiliated researchers were welcomed into the homes of 32 middle-class families. For one week, the research team analyzed and documented each family’s life, looking at how they lived their lives.
After years of research, their findings have been released in a book called Life at Home in the Twenty-first Century. Their data points to a troubling trend: according to their findings, the average family is drowning in clutter. ”What we have is a time capsule of America,” says Jeanne E. Arnold, lead author and anthropologist for the research team. “No other study has been done like this.” Photographs in the book reveal garages filled to the ceiling with boxes, old toys, lawn equipment and housewares. In fact, the researchers found that 75% of the houses surveyed had garages so chock-full of stuff, there was no room for a car.
At amazon, you can see a couple pages of the book here!
Many times I find the comments as or more insightful and/or interesting than the story!
Raphaela Cornut
from Tzunuum says:
- Clutter is visual noise. And definitely stressful! I learned after many years of collecting too many things, that being selective is the key to collecting with a clear mind. I started thinking that the objects I accumulated in boxes were probably gonna be a lot more useful in other people's home, and got rid of about a quarter of my possessions. Many trips to the charity shop later, I could actually display and enjoy the possessions I had. Less dusting, more storage space and a massive weight I didn't even realize was there in the back of my mind, lifted off all of a sudden! It's also a good occasion to file, repair, smile at old memories and find solutions to never let that happen again. A clear space is a clear mind, without a doubt!126 days ago
***And Raphaela's first sentence stuck in my mind all this time, until I freed it on this posting!
Ingus Jākobsons
from Furniply says:
An interesting story.
I have noticed here in Latvia(EU) same problem, but with slight
difference. Here people have and had less room(most of citizens live in
small apartments) where collect stuff like toys from childhood is
difficult, but scars left from soviet era still reflect in modern life.
Back in the days in Soviet era shops were empty(called 'deficit'), and
people bought things because they were available, not because needed!
Even 20 years after collapse of Soviet Union, closets are filled with
stuff(blankets,towels, dishes) that will never be needed. I found that
trying to change thees habits of older people is very hard and sometimes
unnecessary. Just my 2 cents. ***I found this story very interesting in the sense that my grandparents and parents found themselves in a kind of similar experience, by Executive Order 9066 and tend to lean heavily as borderline hoarders!
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Gossamer Tearoom from TheGossamerTearoom says:It absolutely is stress-making and crazy-making and guilt-making....on and on and on. We moved into my elderly parents' house to try and help them. They were both very ill and ended up going to homes. Most people are thinking of "Hoarders" when they think of too many possessions, but my parents packed everything very neatly, very efficiently in big blanket boxes in the basement. There were 250 of them when we moved in. After my parents were gone, we went through them all, donated a lot, sold a lot, had garage sales for 18 weekends last summer (and are still having some this year) and the rest...well, that's what I sell in my vintage shop here on Etsy and use as craft supplies here in this shop! But it was so emotionally draining to go through it all. My mother had Parkinson's Disease AND Alzheimer's both and had terrible bouts of rage and depression. But, one calm day, in a moment of a mix of forgetfulness and clarity, she said to me, "Whose stuff is all this and why would someone keep all this and not use it?!?" Wow. I don't know, Mommy. Why would someone do it? She didn't remember it was all hers.
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Erika from ErikaPrice says:Ha ha! I'm a natural hoarder, so no wonder I'm stressed :)
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Melissa Cyrenne from BigRockPaperCo says:Clean the clutter from your home and you'll clean the clutter from your mind.....
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Anne Fraser from LaughLand says:I had an aunt who hoarded absolutely everything; she would generally be regarded as mentally ill. My mother also tends to hoard - for example, food and grocery items 'on special' that cannot possibly be eaten, more fabric than can possibly be sewn in the next twenty years. This isn't collecting. I think it is a symptom of anxiety and a search for security of some sort. Perhaps similar to what Ingus says about Soviet-era Latvia. I think that consumerism makes it easy to accumulate too much stuff, but it isn't the reason why we have too much stuff. Deeper societal anxieties and displacement are more likely to be the root cause. Maybe it's not too much stuff that causes stress but stress that causes too much stuff.
***I definitely need to explore this more! Emotional security of my past and security of having enough in the future! I think Anne might be right about "stress" causing too much stuff! Another viscous cycle to keep in mind!
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Judy from EmsSparklinGems says:It took me two years to eliminate about 18 years of clutter in our house. We were nowhere near what you see on Hoarders but it bothered me just the same. Ours was hidden clutter - in closets, under beds, in the basement. My 2010 New Year's resolution was to declutter the house. I had very little help from the other residents in my house but I still managed to clear out a lot on my own. We had three or four yard sales. I donated a lot and I threw a lot out. It seems like everytime I turn around there's a new collection of something building in the basement (usually empty boxes) but I tackle the issue every couple of months to keep it under control. I still purge as often as possible. I no save stuff to deal with later. When I want to get rid of something I either A) put it in a donate box B) throw it out. I got tired of yard sales - they're a lot of work and if you don't have a ton to sell it's not worth the little bit of money you take in. I rarely buy anything in bulk unless it's something I'll use within a few months time. Just because it's cheap or on sale doesn't mean I have to take it home! Just watch one episode of Hoarders and it'll make you want to clean your house. LOL
***I am hoping to dehoard in one year, but it looks more like two! That's fine, I don't want to rush it and go back to my old hoarding ways! I am so ms. costco bulk buyer! I'm getting better in this area and only buy toilet paper in bulk and some foods, like grass fed beef, frozen cherries and canned beans.
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Sarah says:I had a fire in my apartment a couple years ago and lost basically everything. It really gave me perspective on what is important. So many of the items I had moved with me from place to place to place seemed so pointless after I lost them. Since then I've been very conscious of what I have, and only hold onto the things I find worth the space they take up.
***More words to take into action and make into a new habit!
Donna Kohler from TreadleLady says:It's true, there is an underlying reason we save, I've been working on the underlying reason of my saving, it is from my childhood of all hand me downs and having very little. It's interesting that my sister, just two years younger, doesn't have the problem. Her home is beautifully decorated semi-shabby chic, organized and peaceful because everything is in its place and soft pleasing color. My home is interesting, lots of art and color, antique sewing machine collection and teapots but the bedroom, office and studio are off limits with stacked boxes and things. Yesterday I cleared the laundry room and re-organized, it was pleasant to walk in and open full length cupboards to store linens and do laundry this morning. Sadly, the boxes are in the hall, waiting to be sorted. :) Thank you for a great article to think about.
***I feel her struggle of once you get an area done, another one is waiting. Her words are a good reminder for me to focus mainly on the pleasant peaceful feelings of dehoarded organization!
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Elettra from elettrarossa says:I cleaned up my life (and house), and I actually miss my clutter!
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***Yikes! This has happened to me more than once! Hopefully not this time around!
Sarah Wilson
says:
I have the reverse problem. I am a
compulsive de-clutterer. Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem, but it
drives my family nuts. I am so scared to become bogged down with things
that I obsessively need to get rid of stuff. Just so people know...
grass isn't always greener....
***Interesting point to keep in mind! Adventures in balance!
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Kari from ThoughtofYouFabricAc says:I have the opposite problem. I am too quick to get rid of things and find I want them back or need them soon after. This has caused lots of stress for me. So, I started putting my give-away pile in a closet for a month. Usually within that month I will pull things out that I've decided to keep. If after a month, it is still on the closet...I feel fairly comfortable that I won't miss it
***This happens to me all the time, even with things I think are trash! I have to remind myself I can't keep everything I think I can recycle, some things can fall through the cracks! Also, I have many items I can't even list yet or are sitting in drafts waiting for me to come to better terms with them! It helps to return to my HoarderRehab etsy goals and my decisions on what to keep!
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Michael Quirk from QuirkMuseum says:I can't really comment on this right now cus I'm half buried under a mountain of stuff.
Kennedy Miranda
from HoarderRehab says:
That's funny, Mr. Quirk! I'm with you!
Is getting out from under the mountain any easier than getting to the
top? And I can't keep repeating this collect and purge life. I'm
working hard this time to make this my last purge! Thank you etsy for
making it less painful and more thoughtful.Thank you etsy for this escape from hoarding and for the blog articles! Thanks to everyone who commented on "Can Having To Much Clutter Cause Stress?" I hope to return and read all the comments for more exploration, connections, clues, tips and common experiences! I noticed that I know some of the commenters who posted where as before I wasn't familiar with anyone on etsy!
Thank "YOU" for joining me in my HoarderRehab journey!
