I received a free Netflix account with our Kinetic purchase for 5 months. Free trial thingy. I was browsing through and saw they had tv shows. I got hooked on Hoarders. Well its just gross to me, disgusting entertainment. I have a friend I had posted about a while back who I think has this issue as well. By the way that worked out pretty good.
Anyway, I think I am opposite. I wouldn't say I am an extreme clean person, or neat freak, but I cant wait to throw, toss, and sell. I have to have a clean house, but its not always 100% possible. That can send me into panic attacks, and high anxiety. I have forgone get together's, or refused visitors if it is not spotless or at least presentable, well my presentable. I think I am opposite of a hoarder. Is there such a thing, and what TV shows have you become addicted too?
It can be one of several disorders.
Narcissism, for example, sometimes has this presentation. So does Borederline Personality Disorder, Sociopathy, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Claustrophobia, Sensory Processing Disorder, and a handful of others.
The bottom line would be WHY you're getting rid of things.
Hoarding, just for example, is NOT a diagnosis in and of itself. It's a symptom of one of a handful of diagnosis.
I'm not sure that I would call what you experience as OCD...more just plain anxiety. I can totally relate though....I don't like people coming over unless my house is clean. My biggest thing is I HATE CLUTTER. I like for all the surfaces and stuff you can "see" to be clutter free and neat. It just makes me feel more relaxed when things are picked up. Although if I can't see it, then I'm not worried about it.
Moral of the story....please come over to my house and enjoy yourself.....but whatever you do DON'T OPEN A DRAWER OR CLOSET!! :)
The opposite of a hoarder is a purger - someone who gets rid of things as quickly as the come in. I do not think it goes to the extreme of hoarders though, but I would classify myself as a purger. I think you may simply have anxiety issues that would be best worked thru with professional help but based on that I do not think you have OCD ... on netflix there is a show regarding OCD I suggest you watch it. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder you are obsessivly compulsed to do something - and it tends to run your life if you HAVE it. Now, I also think everyone has an "OCD" thing in their lives.
hontestly, when i read you title, wasteful was the word that came to mind, had an ocd girl friend that just trew everything in the landfill. While I don't want my house to be a landfill, i didn't like her attitude.
I really appreciated that you mentined selling, would have loved it if you were donating items.
Just wondering, what do you think will happen if people see toast crumbs on your counter or a pile of school papers on the table? Are these people you don't want to be friends with anyway? not snarky just curious.
I think hoarders don't want people around them / in their lives, so you saying you would chose to avoid people if the house isn't clean enough, seemed very similar to me. Sometimes i wonder if some hoarders start out like you and just can't maintain the high standards and go crazy. But i only get this from the TV show, I don't actually know anyone, lol or at least if they are they never let me over. ha ha.
I've got some dirty dishes in the sink which i will tackle after i make dinner, doesn't get me down, i know they will get done soon.
I also love to get rid of things... I sit in boring meetings at work going through the house mentally seeing if there's something I can get rid of. But having said that, I'm fine if a friend comes over and things are super neat. And I can let things go sometimes. So it does sound like you have a bit too much of a compulsion and I'd mention it to a doctor. It shouldn't cause anxiety.
There was a show recently about a man like that... except he was incredibaly extreme. He didn't even own a trashcan in the house for exampleHe had it in the garage and he walked out there, with gloves on, to throw away the tiniest piece of paper. His bathroom did not have a towel rack, he used a new towel every time he showered or washed his hands. His house looked like a hospital room practically, everything was white, black, gray, silver.... He also had severe panic attacks. So with that, he had extreme ocd, and he did receive therapy that did help him a lot.
I am just like you, except that I don't get anxiety over it. I simply throw everything out, and keep the house spotless - all. the. time.
I love cleaning out closets and cabinets, too, even though they never really get cluttered either since I don't save anything.
I think we like to blame all of our "out of ordinary" behaviors on OCD or as we joke CDO since that is the correct alphabetic order.
Hoarders make emotional attachments to objects. You don't sound like you have an emotional attachment to anything you just get upset when things are not orderly.Same difference if your getting upset to a point where you cannot function.To me anything that causes severe distress is a problem.
And YES I learned all of this from watching Hoarders, OCD, Intervention, Toddlers & Tiara's, My Strange Obsession and many more!!
Yikes I am obsessed with shows about crazy people!
It just makes me feel somewhat normal in my crazy existance!
Good luck and GOD BLESS!
D.
If you find out, I'd like to know!
My Grandparents that were hoarders and the state of their house was partially responsible for each of their deaths. I'm constantly purging the house because I fear being "swallowed whole" by my belongings when I get older and become less mobile. It doesn't help that my husband is a pack rat!
If it causes you distress and problems with day to day life, then it's a problem. Sounds like you have a slight problem due to the anxiety that comes with it and not hanging with friends because of it. It prob. affects your life more than you think as you are prob. cleaning more and spending less time with your kids. I love a nice clean, uncluttered house, but I just don't have the time to keep it that way more than a day.
I always say I'm an UnHoarder!
It could be probably a form of OCD, just like hoarding is. I would be concerned about it causing you anxiety--OCD is an anxiety disorder, and Hoarding is an OCD/Anxiety disorder.
I'm a lot like you described, but I wouldn't miss an event because my house is not spotless....and it doesn't cause me anxiety, but I DO love "lightening the load" so to speak!
Some forms of asceticism involve renouncing all worldly possessions.
In some religious branches it's a thing where they take a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practising or preaching their religion or way of life and serving the poor.
Well, hoarding is a form of ocd, but it can affect everyone differently. I'm like you. I want things neat and clean and I HATE clutter! People make fun of me for it but I don't care. It's what makes me feel like I have some sort of control.
