New to this site looking for advice

[footballmaddie]

Hello 

in a nut shell I have just been diagnosed with a form of OCD  that has been gathering momentum over the past several years 

it started after I left my husband very suddenly and with nothing . I started gathering things from charity shops etc as I had very little money ,things got worse after my mum died and then when my younger brother died 15 months later I had a break down and lost my career ... Since then the hoarding has escalated and is really making life much worse . I am waiting to start therapy but is there anything I can start doing which will help ? 

 

[OceanDweller]

10 minutes ago, footballmaddie said:

Hello 

in a nut shell I have just been diagnosed with a form of OCD  that has been gathering momentum over the past several years 

it started after I left my husband very suddenly and with nothing . I started gathering things from charity shops etc as I had very little money ,things got worse after my mum died and then when my younger brother died 15 months later I had a break down and lost my career ... Since then the hoarding has escalated and is really making life much worse . I am waiting to start therapy but is there anything I can start doing which will help ? 

 

Hi Maddie and welcome to the forum.

I'm so sorry to learn that you've experienced such a difficult and painful time. I can't pretend to know how you feel, but I can tell you that grief manifests in many different (often unforseeable) ways. Until you begin therapy, I would just concentrate on getting the basics right (the hoarding can wait): eat well, stroll in the sunshine, meditate, adopt a regular sleeping regime, avoid isolating (at all costs), and talk, talk, talk. And talk some more.

You will receive wonderful input and support from folk here with specific experience of hoarding. My tried and tested advice is simply to take good care of yourself and believe that the future will be brighter than the recent past.

[Angst]

I have a form of checking OCD, hoarding and depression. I have had therapy for all of them but waiting for some top up CBT. Hoarding consists of three stages: acquiring, storage and disposal. Acquiring can be pleasurable but it causes storage and organisation problems. Also disposal is a problem because of emotional attachment or 'might be needed in the future' issues. The best advice is for the moment is to stop the flow of stuff going into your home. I am rereading the book recommended by my therapist 'Buried in Treasure'. It is a workbook. I hate to  recommend an object especially as I need to dispose of some books myself. But it is useful!

[seekingERPnorthwest]

Hi Maddie, thanks for sharing and good luck with the therapy.  Please share any tips and let us know how you get on