Lori, you've had a long term stressor that resulted in a devastating outcome....dealing with your mother's illness and loss. (They say that antidepressants can help about 30% of people with hoarding issues. I'm not saying this is your problem, but looking into it might be very helpful.) It seems that this new threat is a continuation of the past trauma. Just figuring out what is old sensation from what is immediate threat will help you deal with what's going on now.

I just discarded a pick-up load of empty boxes, or boxes that only held other boxes and it made such a difference. Maybe if you just made a big obvious improvement such as this, your landlord would give you a grace period?

Lori,
I don't see your post as whining at all. I think it offers a true, heartfelt response to this thread that people should understand. Each individual goes through different emotions and I think it is important for non hoarders (friends, family members, city employees) to read this and know just what people are feeling. If you want me to remove this please post again that you want me to and I certainly will. Thank you though for your input.

Cory Chalmers
Hoarding Expert
HoardingCleanup.com
1800HOARDERS.com

Forgive the whining above and please ignore.

If moderator can delete, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Prayers for all who are in trouble.

I'm always afraid (general and social phobia) and it feels like stage fright with the butterflies in gut, chest and panic, high bp.

I'd like to clear out my house and go to a senior apartment. I'm not a traditional hoarder who collects, but was in a situation where every second was focused for a decade on my mother who required constant eyes on due to dementia.

She ripped everything that could be grabbed and torn and never slept. In that time I started ordering everything online. The boxes and packing started to pile up and my all focus had to be on her needs. I loved her and thought when she passed I would take my time and sort out ten years worth of papers, etc.

Much happened that made things worse, and she is now gone. I want to sort and discard in sections over time, but it will be treated as a violation that must immediately be cleared out with no chance to go thru ten years of important documents mixed with non.

I can't bear the thought of people coming in at all, much less to haul out without discrimination--they can't know what for me is important. A comment was made that any documents can always be re-obtained.

After the red tape involved in hospitalization and care for my mother and dealing with the govt and agencies, I know this is just not so. I don't have everything computerized in my head and need to sort before tossing documents.

Just so scared. Know how rough the local authorities were when needing help with mom.
We both suffered terribly, she especially had things done to her that haunt me day and night.

How to cope with the fear of these strangers coming in, treating me like a criminal, and losing those documents I need. It feels like rape and the cost will be astronomical.

Isn't it reasonable to allow a person time to sort and dispose section/room methodically instead of mass disposal? If there was a hauler that would perhaps weekly take a load, I'd be done over the winter.

Just so very scared all the time. It's the anxiety and social phobia on top of having authorities criminalize something that can be remedied otherwise.