Web communities help hoarders
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How many people, including those that 'society-deems-normal', reach a moment in their lives when they ask "am I living the best I can"? I wasn't at all happy with my answer.
In deciding to make the admission that I-may-have-a-mental-illness, my first reaction was how can I find out, and if it's confirmed, how can I get rid of it?
The 12-week course I attended, with seven others, really opened my eyes to this condition's pervasiveness both within society and in me. I'm reading anything I can: books, online academic papers, blogs on psychology forums, posts in online support groups and I am wrestling with the general belief that I may only reach a 'maintenance level of control', but not ever 'be cured'. I want a cure.
Having seen the effects that clogging up my life has caused and heard other's stories I now want a life full of realness, connection, and meaning, and it would be great if I could have that with fries, to go, now!
OK, so there's going to be a lot of work, six months ago I wasn't ready. What's really motivating me now is knowing that there are others working at it too and achieving results.
The internet has finally shown its usefullness by connecting me via support groups to thousands of others. I'm in the process of establishing my own group, Hoarders-helping-Hoarders as a way of expressing my thanks and to examine what I believe may be driving this behaviour - our disconnection with our emotions.
I seek to set challenges every day, to every wish/desire/urge/impulse, every action/response, even the value of most thoughts get dragged up before my newly arranged review panel and a lot now fail the critical question, is the acquisition of this item necessary for my new, better life?
I implore you to watch our stories, then look, honestly, at your lifestyle and ask, am I living the best I can? And if you want to change, talk to us.
Paul Monteith
