I hope my advice didnt hinder your progress? I have found that regret hinders mine a lot! My newest eye opener on that is the old things that arent even made anymore, like the electric blankets & heating pads that shut off after a few hours, that work great for my cats, especially the feral ones, that would abandon any outbuilding that i went in regularly to push the button every night for their warm bed?! Also, analog type equipment, that has many advantages over digital and LED stuff, especially in emergencies...survival stuff! Many of the newer water heaters & AC's dont work as well either. My electrician fixed my water heater last week, when my new one did not heat as well...im grateful he let me have it back & fixed it for me, too, cuz showering in tepid water was miserable! I hope im not putting unnecessary fear into anyone, but regret isnt good?! It feels good to keep things that make sense to keep...at least ive found it does for me! :D

I dont want to hinder your progress, Susan, but be careful having the same people appraising valuables, that are gonna be buying it?! My Mom was scammed out of a fortune doing that!

WAY TO GO!!! Susan :D
Keep remembering how good it feels when you unload a bunch at the charity thrift shop.
As for antique & collectable appraisers...
since you can't find any locally try looking for local auction houses.
They are qualified appraises too.
This might also be a good way for you to sell those items.
Keep up the great momentum! :D

Hi Tillie: Thank you so much for the encouragement! :=)

I took a big load of boxes and bags to Goodwill yesterday. It's the first of many loads to come, but it felt SO GOOD to get all that stuff out of here. After taking a load, I fill out the donation forms, which kind of clears my head for the next load. The dining room is slowly looking more organized.

I admitted to hubs that I threw out a potentially valuable item; he told me he'd already fished it out. So we're working together.

Any suggestions for finding antique appraisers? There seem to be none in my area. There's a lot of stuff but a lot of potentially valuable things too.

Thank you again!

Hi Susan :)
Please let us know how it's going.
Also, we can give more suggestions if you find something to be even more challenging.
Remember your health is the first priority so eat properly, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep.

Tillie, thank you for your suggestions. I will try them. Shorter lengths of time makes sense b/c I have gotten dizzy: cans inside of cans, boxes inside of boxes, cedar chests on top of cedar chests. Yeesh.

back up post

Hi Susan :)

It helps if you don't look at the whole project.
Seeing and thinking about EVERYTHING that needs to be done is way too overwhelming.
You need to break it down into small more do-able projects.
Focus only on one small area at a time.
A drawer, closet, end table, counter, etc.
You can even decide on one small square foot of an area to tackle.
To help get started and beyond the anxiety it sometimes helps to set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes.
Knowing you only need to work at the task for a small amount of time can help get you started.
After you have completed your one small area it is a great time to congratulate yourself for a job well done. :D
Get some fresh air, drink some water then plan on doing another small round.
Clearing out an overabundance of items, making those keep/toss/donate/sell decisions takes time.
Don't berate yourself when you find the task is taking longer than you think it should.
One small accomplishment after another will eventually start to make a huge improvement overall.
Good luck and best wishes. :D

Hi Susan :)

It helps if you don't look at the whole project.
Seeing and thinking about EVERYTHING that needs to be done is way too overwhelming.
You need to break it down into small more do-able projects.
Focus only on one small area at a time.
A drawer, closet, end table, counter, etc.
You can even decide on one small square foot of an area to tackle.
To help get started and beyond the anxiety it sometimes helps to set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes.
Knowing you only need to work at the task for a small amount of time can help get you started.
After you have completed your one small area it is a great time to congratulate yourself for a job well done. :D
Get some fresh air, drink some water then plan on doing another small round.
Clearing out an overabundance of items, making those keep/toss/donate/sell decisions takes time.
Don't berate yourself when you find the task is taking longer than you think it should.
One small accomplishment after another will eventually start to make a huge improvement overall.
Good luck and best wishes. :D

Hi, my name is Susan. I posted on Cory's Sunday chat about 4 yrs ago when my husband and I moved into his parents' upstairs because we lost our home to foreclosure. The inlaws were relentless auctiongoers -- they'd buy boxes of stuff for $1 in the hopes of finding one valuable thing inside. That rarely happened but the boxes of stuff kept piling up.

In the past year both inlaws passed away. My husband and I are blessed with a free and clear house, but also tasked with the monumental job of sorting. Not only did my husband's parents save everything, but his aunt is ALSO a hoarder, who used sister's home for a satellite storage area.

I am in treatment for anxiety. Part of me wants to throw everything out. The other part says "Don't, you don't know what's valuable."

My question: how do you get past the feeling of being overwhelmed when trying to dig out?

Thank you --

Thank you for the encouragement and welcome, Tatoulia!

Indeed, even on the "lighter" side of hoarding, hoarding is still hoarding and it remains so incredibly difficult to permanently shake off the stuff!
But we can all do this. With a little help from our fellow hoarders... :) (and silly references to Beatles songs, apparently)

Hello Coralee. I did a big clean out last summer and this summer have to admit to some backsliding. Glad you are here. We can all work on it together!! I too was on the "lighter side" but the feelings and emotions and obstacles are the same. Welcome!xpcfvp

Thank you for the warm welcome wishes, Tillie! :)

I have just placed an order for Buried in Treasures through an online retailer and hope it will be delivered soon! Thank you for the recommendation too. Every little bit of help is very much appreciated at this stage (I even woke up far too early for a Sunday morning and noticed that the first thing on my mind was the remainder of my hoard scattered through the apartment). Slowly but surely being driven to full-on craziness by my stuff! :D

Welcome Coralie :)

WAY TO GO!!! for all you have accomplished! :D

True, the decision making is easier in the beginning and gets harder when we finally get into decision making about items that are more personal, emotionally charged and sentimental.

If you can find it where you live, a great book to read is
"Buried In Treasures".

Hello fellow hoarders and those affected by hoarding situations,

After searching for a long time for an online support community that is closer to home and located in southern Europe, I have given up and decided to join this board instead as it seems very active, full of both comprehension and encouragement, and just what I need.

My hoarding situation would probably be considered a little more on the tame side of the spectrum but it remains nonetheless a lasting issue with great impact on my life. After a decade of up and downs with my hoard since my late teens, I have come to terms with the fact that it is a mental problem and simply laziness or ptocrastination as it is so often referred to.
Were it not for hearing about American and British shows like Hoarders, I would still be in distress over not knowing what is wrong with me as hoarding appears to be a very taboo subject in my country, one that is rarely if ever spoken about. So, I'm extremely grateful for not only the TV shows but also the "real" people bravely opening up about their problems online.

In an attempt to start living life to its fullest again, I have been going through my hoard since the end of spring, gotten rid of at least 20 black bags of things and am finding the last bit of sorting through what is left the hardest in the end. Hopefully, I will be able to find the resources within me to finalise this clean-up that has been going on for a couple of months now and set myself on the slow path of recovery before the calendar year ends...

I look forward to exchanging with you, learning more about all of you and myself.

Kind regards,

Coralie