Guilty Pleasures & Epiphanies

Hey, everyone! It’s Sam again!

During social distancing, I’ve discovered a new guilty pleasure. The show “Hoarders” by A&E - - they have full episodes now on YouTube now. I watched Hoarders back in high school, but it hits differently now that I’m camping out in my own place. Now, I’ve found myself watching Hoarders when I need to clean but can’t find the motivation.

You've probably seen it, but in case you haven't, it's about individuals who are on the brink of a major crisis because of their hoarding. It's not about having an intervention, but more about documenting the process: how they think and what they’re going through. Viewers follow along with the hoarders and how they handle the situation side by side with family/friends, a therapist, and a professional cleaning crew. Through the process and all the changes, viewers witness some major transformations in the houses and in the people. After watching a few episodes, I feel compelled to get to work deep cleaning, organizing, and purging my space.

Hoarders on the show struggle with parting with objects for various reasons, but mostly because they find value in these things. One lady refused to throw away food containers that were clearly contaminated because the food hadn't even been opened and wasn’t expired. Maybe this seems illogical, but let me remind you: Hoarding is a mental illness that simply manifests differently than other mental illnesses. Even if you don't struggle with a true hoarding tendency, the show reminds you that freeing up space physically frees up space mentally. And who can't use that reminder right now?

I, too, struggle with getting rid of objects because of potential value. I’m sure we all do. I have dozens of clothes taking up space in my overfilled closet due to the potential to be the perfect outfit for some occasion. The cute homecoming dress from junior year will one day be able to make a comeback with its bold peacock feather print and size “way too small” for me now. When stepping back, I have no idea why I think that, but for some reason the memories are difficult to part with.

On one of the episodes I recently watched, the professional organizer said something along the lines: Does this item fit into your picture of a happy home? And that phrase resonated with me. We all have visions of what we want our spaces to look like, even if it’s just an apartment closet. This dress that I’ve had hanging up for years is not in that vision. That dress doesn’t add value to the closet or who I am, so why keep it?

During these times of quarantine, I am going to challenge myself to let go of some of those items. Time to clear out some clutter that doesn’t fit into my image of a happy home.

Do you struggle with letting go of things? Let me know, and let's struggle together!