Perfectly Messy

Did you know that perfectionism can manifest itself into clutter and hoarding?

I'm fascinated by the fact that the pyschological dysfunction of OCD and perfectionism are linked. That someone who has a hugely cluttered home and has a fear of letting go of things, is actually a perfectionist is completely bizarre to me. Here is a website on the subject.

http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/index.php

I see people all the time at the local superstore buying organizing materials. Now, I love to organize, but are you organizing clutter that you really don't need to keep? Are you storing things away to never be touched again? I'm not asking this from a pedestal, but from experience!! I still have to look at every piece in my home and ask myself if I really need it and it IS hard to part with things for so many reasons. Look at these common themes/excuses for hoarding.

*They want to be responsible with disposing of things, thus may not get around to doing so

*Want to organize things, but become confused because they want to place similar things together, but see everything as unique

*They buy things just in case they need them

*They have trouble throwing out things because they fear having to replace them

*Incoming material far exceeds outgoing material

Hoarding is not a commonly used term except in the extreme cases, but I believe as a society that we have a problem with hoarding. Is it completely unacceptable to go around telling people they are hoarders, but I want to make a stand against accumulating all these things!!!! I want people to be free of owning so much that it ends up owning them.

Here is your Closet Mission for this week:
Find something that you are "saving" and give it your attention. Do you need it, well probably not. But do you love it? Ok, do you use it? You probably don't. Why not? What are you saving it for? If you love it, use it!! Burn those candles! Use your china! Read those magazines!

If just reading this is giving you the heeby jeebies, consider how you are feeling. I'm not telling you to throw out what you love, but remember that if you are not using these things someone else can and will. If you are not sure, put these things in a box to revisit in a month.

Practice letting go. After all practice makes perfect.