Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/em>, compulsive hoarders cling to their possessions, unable to discard things they no longer use. Their homes are filled with newspapers, magazines, and old clothing, with clutter often piled so high that they cannot use their living areas. In severe cases, hoarders are unable to cook in their kitchens or sleep in their beds.<\/p>\nHoarding behavior affects both males and females, occurring most often in adults over 55. People typically begin hoarding after a traumatic life event or period of acute stress. Feeling unsafe, they accumulate possessions to feel more secure. Yet by living in such cluttered, unsanitary conditions, they compromise their health and safety.<\/p>\n
Compulsive hoarding is an extreme. But our busy, noisy consumer culture encourages mindless acquisition. Advertisements urge us to buy the latest clothes, consumer products, and electronic gadgets, which fill our lives with constant stimulation and noise.<\/p>\n
Clutter subjects us to chronic stress. In addition to physical clutter, there\u2019s time clutter\u2014the compulsion to cram our schedules with activity; noise clutter\u2014radio, TV, and electronics that keep us plugged-in to outside stimulation; emotional clutter\u2014old disappointments, worries and fears that increase our suffering; and mental clutter\u2014hoarding old beliefs of inferiority and prejudice that separate us from ourselves and others. It\u2019s exhausting just to think about all of it.<\/p>\n
To release clutter and cultivate greater clarity in your life
\n\u2022 Take a few moments in a quiet place.
\n\u2022 Close your eyes
\n\u2022 Take a deep breath and release it.
\n\u2022 Ask yourself, \u201cWhat can I do to bring greater clarity to my life now?\u201d
\n\u2022Is there a pile up of things you no longer need? An old habit or belief you need to release?<\/p>\n
Write down your insight.
\nThen take one small step today to bring greater clarity to your life.<\/p>\n
Namaste,<\/p>\n
Diane.<\/p>\n
Reference<\/strong>
\nAmerican Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders<\/em> (5th ed.) Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The five colors can blind our eyes, The five sounds deafen our ears, The five tastes exhaust our appetites. Chasing desire can drive us mad. Therefore, the Tao person Seeks inner wisdom, Lets go of excess, Affirms truth. Tao Te … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"qubely_global_settings":"","qubely_interactions":"","kk_blocks_editor_width":"","_kiokenblocks_attr":"","_kiokenblocks_dimensions":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7,3,4],"tags":[16,17,15,13],"class_list":["post-1064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contemplative-leader","category-insights-from-positive-psychology","category-spiritual-practice","category-writing","tag-clarity","tag-clutter","tag-hoarding","tag-stress"],"gutentor_comment":0,"qubely_featured_image_url":null,"qubely_author":{"display_name":"writeherewritenow","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/author\/writeherewritenow\/"},"qubely_comment":0,"qubely_category":"Contemplative Leader<\/a> Insights from Positive Psychology<\/a> Spiritual Practice<\/a> Writing<\/a>","qubely_excerpt":"The five colors can blind our eyes, The five sounds deafen our ears, The five tastes exhaust our appetites. Chasing desire can drive us mad. Therefore, the Tao person Seeks inner wisdom, Lets go of excess, Affirms truth. Tao Te … Continue reading →","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1064"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1066,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1064\/revisions\/1066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"hoarding](\"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/files\/2014\/07\/hoarding-index.jpg\")
<\/a>According to the DSM-5<\/em>, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/em>, compulsive hoarders cling to their possessions, unable to discard things they no longer use. Their homes are filled with newspapers, magazines, and old clothing, with clutter often piled so high that they cannot use their living areas. In severe cases, hoarders are unable to cook in their kitchens or sleep in their beds.<\/p>\n