Quote:
Originally Posted by girlwithbrownhair
I don't think you're overprotective, I think it's a sign you feel "underprotected". As someone who. Has. Been. There.  So trust me. Food....clothing...paper. You seek comfort.
It's a tough thing to lick. Of course, I don't think hoarding can be "licked", I think it can be "understood" and "managed". But doing the talk-talk won't do it...it's just delaying the inevitable. Again, trust me. The book part? If you're like me, the books are simply a distraction so you don't have to think about the other stuff. If I buy a book, that's my excuse to not do the dirty work of throwing away the other stuff. I mean, can hardly read and throw out trash at the same time, eh? It took me throwing out a crapload of books to realize that, by the way.
Hoarding has a lot of OCD to it...anxiety, all the fun stuff. Are you on OCD meds at all?? Just wondering.
Go for a walk, instead of buying stuff. Throw out 3 items a day or give them away (without replacing). It's the habit thing, you know. Time to try some new habits.
Good luck, what you're going through is so terribly misunderstood. Don't take it all on at once though, just a tiny little bit at a time. Good luck! |
I have not been diagnosed or treated for OCD. I don't have typical OCD problems like compulsive hand washing and the like. I do know that I do not have very good social abilities. So, I avoid social contact as much as possible. People don't seem to like me much either, so I turn to security things. I buy these things because they make me feel prepared. Like, I am taking care of myself for buying them. I don't expect my social ineptness to change anytime soon. I don't have the looks that people want around them. And, with a background that includes a lack of nuturing as a child, I don't really know how to navigate socially or romantically. I turn a lot of people off when I don't respond (frankly, I don't recognize or clearly do not want) their sexual advancements. The few that I get, that is. Maybe the things that I buy are just a safety wall between me and the rest of the world.