For some of us, organising our homes has been in our minds for quite some times now. Yep, thanks to the new hit show on Netflix called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”. All of a sudden the show spreads fever of excitement like wildfire for us all to wonder what we can do to our house to make it feel more of a comfy home.
It’s nice to see that this booming trend has bring us a positive outlook on making our homes a better place for us. Which brings us to realisation that organising our homes is a necessity and more than just to make it look nicer, but also functional. However, that’s not always an easy case for someone who has a hoarding tendency or disorder.
What is Hoarding // Understanding Hoarding
Hoarding is considered as a compulsive behaviour which revolves around difficulty to part or let go of possessions and do not mind the real value of the items. Some of the commonly hoarded items are newspapers or magazines, cardboard boxes, paper and plastic bags, as well as food and clothing. To kick it up a notch, not only those kind of common items, but hoarding can be in a way of “collecting” animals.
There are signs, or red flags if you will, to know that the collecting behaviours has gotten way out of hand.
- Buying many same things over time because of not knowing if it’s already owned
- Creating strain and problem with other people, or closed ones from coming over
- Having difficulties keeping up with things like paying bills or preparing dinner on time
- Walking around the house feels like an obstacle course
- Feeling bad or out of control when looking at piles of clutter around the house
Reasons for Hoarding
Hoarding can be related to compulsive buying, acquisition of free items, as well as searching for perfect or unique items. Reason behind is that hoarders believe that the itimes would be useful or valuable in the future, or whether it has so much of sentimental value to be thrown away.
Let’s clarify the term in an even more specific manner... Hoarding is not the same as collecting. One thing that tells the two apart is the sense of pride as well as joy regarding the possessions. For the hoarders, the possessed items brings embarrassment and makes them feel uncomfortable for others to see the clutter that contaminates the living space.
It’s been said that hoarding problem may present on its own or as a symptom of another disorder. Some of the associated disorders, such as: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Other less often associated with hoarding are eating disorder, psychosis, and dementia.
How KonMari Method Can Help?
Now let’s talk about the superstar, the hero that would save the hoarders in terms of to get their life back in order. Allegedly, the KonMari method would not only help people get organised — As Marie Kondo herself claims that her clients never go back to the mess because they have been transformed into an organised person. How did she do it?
Well, for those of you who haven’t been able to keep up with the hype of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, this “crazy tidying fanatic” has quite an unusual and unique method of organising. There are tons of information online regarding her methods already nowadays. However, what will be discussed here is how her 4 rules of tidying up can help according to the guru herself.
Rule #1 — Imagine Your Ideal Life
Before tidying, the first step needed is to face yourself of why you want to tidy and what is your ideal life. You should be able to picture yourself living your ideal life and write it down on a piece of paper as a reminder of your purpose.
Rule #2 — Tidy in One Go
To be transformed into an organised person, shocking your mindset is important to change it completely. Also, set a deadline and treat tidying as a special event.
Rule #3 — Sort by Category, NOT by Location
This step serves the purpose for you to visually realise how much stuff of each category that you have. Therefore, it can help on the next step of deciding which one you want to keep, which one you really need to keep, and which one to get rid of.
Rule #4 — Does it Spark Joy?
KonMari method suggests to focus on things that you want to keep (not what you want to discard) and to choose them with a calm mind. Reason being is if you looking for things to discard, you will become unhappy.