Meet Radha. She is a contented homemaker. But walk into her home and you notice something amiss. The living room is spacious. But it appears cramped and confined. The show case is stuffed with curios, showpieces and other bric-a-brac that are crammed beside each other not to be recognised much less appreciated. Besides every available contour and corner in Radha's drawing room is piled with newspapers, magazines and other odds and ends.
Control chaos
A similar chaos confronts you when you waddle your way to the dining room. The crockery shelf is jam packed with crystals, cutlery etc the beauty of which is lost in the multitude. The dining table too is disarrayed with decorative knick knacks in varying sizes and shapes.
By the time you reach the bedrooms you know what's in store. True to your expectations besides the litter on the floor, countless dusty cases stuffed under the cots peer at you revoltingly.
The wardrobe doors forced shut to prevent the goods from tumbling out appear to be crying for mercy. The cots and side tables too are a tangled mess.
And the kitchen? No! You feel suffocated and desperately need breathing space.
Like Radha many of us are inclined to accumulate. We refuse to let go or discard items that are of no use. So what makes one hoard? Many causes have been attributed for being a compulsive hoarder. A common notion is a selfish uncharitable attitude leads one to amass. A stingy penny-pinching mindset makes one tight fisted and indisposed to part with one's possessions or distribute to the needy.
But apart from such sweeping assumptions many other compulsions make one hoard. Sentimental attachment has been observed to be a crucial aspect. Certain belongings may have a strong emotional link. Their sight and presence rekindles fond childhood or bygone memories. Such objects are treasured not just in homes but hearts too.
“Age too has a lot to do with it,” feels Dr.Krishnakumari.”It is the older generation who store many things due to the emotional attachment. For throwing away things that have outlived its utility and which appears as junk to others fills them with a sense of wrong that they are wasting things. However the younger generation in this consumerist age has no problem with discarding items which they no longer have any use.”
Stockpiles
Others stockpile any bits and pieces hoping it may be of use to him/her or to others. Many objects are thus stored for years with the vain hope that they might prove useful one day.
Dr.Revathy Vikram observes, “women tend to accumulate clothes as they are her weakness. Dresses and outfits purchased for special occasions are thus stored for years or even forever. Overweight women store clothes of their slimmer days hoping to get back into shape and fit into them again.”
Old and unused furniture, worn out curtains, footwear, broken or cracked crockery, curios, trinkets, jewellery that have outlived its time are other remnants held on to.
However hoarding is no laughing matter. It can play havoc with your well being, your family life, relationships etc.
First and foremost living amidst clutter and mess gets on one's nerves. Disorder and disarray sends negative vibes. Things are lost easily and difficult to trace in the vast ocean of muddle. Hours thus are wasted searching for something you require urgently but which appears to have vanished into thin air.
Order in our lives
Dr.Nitin Anandkrishnan says, “It's natural to store things that we like or what interests us. But things that have outlived its value and utility should be discarded. Thing that are useless to us but which may be useful to others should be distributed to the needy. This brings order to our lives.”
Hoarding can turn your house into a breeding ground for household bugs, cockroaches etc that take up abode among the scrap.
The only option thus is to de-clutter your home.
De- cluttering your living space can also be a rewarding experience. Lot of surprises maybe in store when you stumble upon certain important things you thought were lost forever.
Your interiors take on a friendly and welcoming shape and character. And behold at the transformation of your dwelling from a junk yard into a real home- comfortable, relaxed and spacious!
