Hoarding is about accumulating massive amounts of something for safekeeping and preservation, with future use in mind. Most people don’t go to the extremes as featured in reality shows. Still, a significant amount of clutter can affect day to day living. When your stuff and its intended usage has not been materializing, causing you problems instead, this indicates a problem. Sometimes, the issues with having too much stuff are not recognizable. This list shall allow you to step back and look at the present with a clearer perspective.
Psychological harm
When your persona becomes deeply ingrained and attached to material possessions, you limit being empowered in many ways. Nurturing the desire to collect stuff without getting rid of purchases that stem from bad judgments, strengthens the bond between you and material possessions. The sooner the behavior is addressed, the better it will be for you.
Keeping stuff in the basement does not address the issue. Hence, assess if you have a hoarding problem and accept that it can happen to anyone. After this, free yourself of the need to associate yourself with stuff. Junk Haulers Evergreen can help you get rid of unnecessary items professionally.
Unhealthy environment
Having too much stuff requires more cleaning time. With the increasing demands of day to day living, cleaning can be overlooked, and having more stuff makes matters worse. This affects the quality of air at home. Dust tends to accumulate over time, and food spoils deep inside the refrigerator and in the innermost nook of your cupboards. As the amount of overlooked food waste increases at home, the ammonia level increases, negatively impacting the air you breathe at home.
Accumulating more cosmetic products than you can use puts you at a higher risk of using expired beauty products. Using expired creams and makeup can cause irritation and possible bacterial infection. These products have shelf lives, and overlooking them may be hazardous for your skin’s health.
Structural damage
For hoarders, it is possible to collect so many belongings that it becomes difficult to walk around the house smoothly. Having more stuff than you can manage promotes poor housekeeping, and this increases the risk of slipping, tripping, and falling.
In addition to this, the weight of your amassed stuff can be heavier than what your home can bear. This leads to concerns regarding structural integrity. These concerns can fast forward the need for renovations.
Relationship injuries
As hoarded objects invade spaces in homes, they block usual pathways to intimacy. Interactions among family members are left to occur in vacant spots, minimizing the quality of relationships.
When other family members provide criticism against the overwhelming stuff at home, hoarder parents’ choices overshadow and dominate. These family members feel unheard and valued less, potentially straining the relationship over repeating similar occurrences.
Purchases that make you happy are not necessarily bad. However, if the amount of stuff you own exceeds your ability to manage it, reducing it is a good idea to preserve your well-being.