4 ms·

I have a family member who has mild hoarding habits and the most striking thing is the emotional attachment to the stuff. Throwing out something is felt as tho

I have a family member who has mild hoarding habits and the most striking thing is the emotional attachment to the stuff. Throwing out something is felt as though it is a personal attack and a loss almost equivalent to tossing the family pet. To blame income, capitalism, live space, etc misses the point. The items don't have to be large or important. The space doesn't have to be large. The income doesn't have to plentiful. If there is an increase in hoarding, it's probably due to an increase in stress and anxiety in life.

stordoff 8y ago
> The items don't have to be large or important. I have OCD (which isn't hoarding, but manifests in similar ways), and it's as if there is not filter. _Everything_ is of equal value. That wrapper I just discarded, or this photo of my parents - they're of equal importance. Yes, I _know_ they're of no use, but it _might_ be (is my OCD thought process).
- mirimir 8y ago
  > Yes, I _know_ they're of no use, but it _might_ be (is my OCD thought process). Hey, I know that "wrapper" is intended to induce eye roll. But I do save some bags and packaging. For example, laminated packaging with an Al layer + Al tape = temporary repair of a cracked roof slate.
  - TeMPOraL 8y ago
    I only recently threw away a (unused) Starbucks paper cup from ~2010. Life circumstances around the time it came into my possession made me particularly attached to an image printed on it, and thus the cup changed apartments with me twice before I finally realized it's just a dust collector and I don't care about it that much anymore. People are weird. Myself included.
    - mirimir 8y ago
      Yeah. My wife has a couple PBS "Downton Abbey" paper cups in the cabinet.
  - stordoff 8y ago
    I wasn't meaning to imply that saving some packaging isn't rational (my mother does it - if nothing else, it's useful to reuse) , but when it's things I _know _ have no use (such as an individual sweet wrapper - I know rationally it has no practical use, but it still causes the same internal debate), and it's _everything_, that's when it becomes a problem. Similarly to TeMPOraL's point - saving things that have no practical use for sentimental reasons (or just because you like them) isn't a problem (or unusual), but when every piece of paper that comes through your door feels important, it's problematic.

stordoff 8y ago

> The items don't have to be large or important. I have OCD (which isn't hoarding, but manifests in similar ways), and it's as if there is not filter. _Everything_ is of equal value. That wrapper I just discarded, or this photo of my parents - they're of equal importance. Yes, I _know_ they're of no use, but it _might_ be (is my OCD thought process).

mirimir 8y ago
> Yes, I _know_ they're of no use, but it _might_ be (is my OCD thought process). Hey, I know that "wrapper" is intended to induce eye roll. But I do save some bags and packaging. For example, laminated packaging with an Al layer + Al tape = temporary repair of a cracked roof slate.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  I only recently threw away a (unused) Starbucks paper cup from ~2010. Life circumstances around the time it came into my possession made me particularly attached to an image printed on it, and thus the cup changed apartments with me twice before I finally realized it's just a dust collector and I don't care about it that much anymore. People are weird. Myself included.
  - mirimir 8y ago
    Yeah. My wife has a couple PBS "Downton Abbey" paper cups in the cabinet.
- stordoff 8y ago
  I wasn't meaning to imply that saving some packaging isn't rational (my mother does it - if nothing else, it's useful to reuse) , but when it's things I _know _ have no use (such as an individual sweet wrapper - I know rationally it has no practical use, but it still causes the same internal debate), and it's _everything_, that's when it becomes a problem. Similarly to TeMPOraL's point - saving things that have no practical use for sentimental reasons (or just because you like them) isn't a problem (or unusual), but when every piece of paper that comes through your door feels important, it's problematic.