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The keynote speaker, Dr. Christiana Bratiotis, a cognitive therapist specialist on hoarders gave updates on hoarding research.
Confirmed for me that depression is co-occuring with hoarding, but it is not known whether this is a result of the clutter and resulting isolation or a cause. Social phobia is also co-occuring thus it is hard for hoarders to accept help from those set up to help them. She didn't mention organizers at all (see my notes under UCSF Research for why that might be.) There is also post traumatic stress syndrome and substance abuse.
Where once hoarding was considered an OCD thing, now they are finding that there is not that much overlap. Just as many hoarders suffer from ADHD with distraction getting them off task. The benefit of being OCD is that the person is more likely to realize that they have a problem with clutter whereas non-OCD hoarders stop seeing the stuff as clutter and so are perceived by family as being willfully disobedient.
Treatment program described included weekly office visits to a therapist, and in-home visits to help declutter. Also patients were taken to places where they would normally pick-up stuff and they practiced not picking up stuff. Family consultations were also offered as was a clean-out of the home with trained therapeutic team.
There was a high response on the part of the clients who went through this 6 month to a year long program. It made them feel they were getting better. It was also a good treatment for depression since the client had to get out of bed, get dressed and actually break their isolation. Plus having people, especially cheerful undergrads visit them in their homes helped socialize them. The home visits were crucial. Reading books on hoarding helped very little. Support groups were also crucial to help reduce the stigma and social phobia. Mutual aid of the group instilled hope and motivation.
There is not empirical evidence that deprivation i.e. The Great Depression had anything to do with creating hoarders. However a personal loss like a miscarriage, a death in the family, being raped etc. was much more likely to have an impact.
Also of interest was the age when the hoarding emerged which was quite young, highest in middle school age, followed by high school. However, it is not considered a real problem for seeking of treatment until middle age to elderly. The problem just gets worse with age and the treatment gets less result with older patients.
And finally hoarding is only an issue in cultures where private ownership of property is important. In cultures where there is only communal ownership of property there is no incidence of hoarding. A very interesting comment on the pathology of private ownership.
Tables here were color coded so that those who did not want to be caught on camera would know where to sit. Hoarders in attendance may be in the closet, perhaps.
From the moment you make the decision to move, one glance around the house weighs down your high spirits with stress. Having to #pack everything the right way and load it onto the van to deliver it to the new location is a daunting task. To add to your dismay, there’s a lot more that goes down behind the scenes than just this. Planning, setting dates, hiring a reputable moving company, and getting cheap moving boxes that do the job right without coming apart in transit are all tasks that need to be managed responsibly. It seems anyone with time constraints would lose confidence in successfully relocating (without undertaking some intense labor). But luckily, you can actually help reduce your stress level and simplify your complex moving process by just following a few basic tips and suggestions.
Here’s what to do if you’re planning on changing homes:
Planning Part 1: Set Your Budget
The primary reason the word moving has a #connotation of #stress is because you find it overwhelming. So, the solution lies in simplifying the complexity of moving processes. You do this by getting yourself a planner to cover all aspects of your home. First, set the budget. How much can you spend on moving out of your home? Calculate your total moving costs by creating a budget plan. The priority is to minimize expenditure as much as you can without compromising on safety and quality of the services you receive. Technically, the less stuff you have the less you'll pay for shifting. So, declutter your house by getting rid of any items that you no longer need. You can do this by donating, selling or giving them away. In the process of sorting through your stuff, you’ll be able to organize them as well. Plus, if you aren’t expecting any important mail on your current address, get right to updating your address.
2. Planning Part 2: Choose a Moving Company
Once the budget is set, speak to a hiring company that has a good reputation and can be readily available for pick up in your area. Having your finalized possessions in clear view, you can easily provide accurate information to get quotes from various companies. The best way to go about this is by speaking to a number of reputable companies on the phone or by using an online moving cost estimator. Once you have an idea about quote estimates, you can arrange for them to survey your home to provide you with accurate costs. Discuss the services you need and ditch the ones that you don’t, this will bring down the costs. You can create a draft of questions you have for the movers to compare answers and costs when you quietly sit down. Choose the date that is most convenient for you to move out. Research and investigate carefully all the companies you consult for home surveys. Seeking reviews and recommendation from personal friends or family is more recommended as it cuts down on the chances of choosing fraudulent companies. You can thoroughly check out the moving companies by viewing their credentials on the U.S. Department of Transportation (#USDOT number), or check their memberships at the American Moving and Storage Association (#AMSA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Hiring a reputable moving can save you from unexpected encounters and theft. You should carefully inspect the company’s review website before sealing the deal. Also, bear in mind that if a home moving quote is too low to be true, then it may be a red flag. In such cases, make sure to walk away and not take any risks. It is wise to utilize and explore every avenue of information in matters that involve your home security. Also, inquire about any hidden charges from the company you’re dealing with. Sometimes moving companies have unnecessary charges prescribed for unforeseeable things such as extra charges for boxes with large dimensions. So, gather all the information needed before you move on to the next thing on the list, which is getting packing supplies.
3. Planning Part 3: Get Packing Supplies
Survey your home and decide which type of #movingboxes are needed and how many. Write down the size, dimensions and quantity. Assemble all your packing essentials such as duct tape or packing tape, bubble wrap, cardboard boxes and packing peanuts. You can even gain some tips from packing books. To prevent any damage in transit pack your fragile items with expert tips, follow it by packing the valuable items by minimizing their risk of being stolen. Don’t forget to check with your movers the items that can and cannot board their moving vans. Due to some policies regarding health and safety, there are prohibitions in place that forbid transporting certain items. Label all your boxes, as this will help you easily unpack the stuff you need first. Also, mark in bold the labels “fragile” and “handle with care”, this will even serve as a reminder for your own self.
On the day of your moving, wake up fresh with minimum stress and worries. With everything under perfect management and control, you’ll let out a sigh of relief. Make sure you haven’t left anything to the last minute. Keep your “open me first” box close by so it doesn’t end up with the movers. Put in your phone chargers, devices and anything that you will need at hand during transit.
If you own any pets, send them over to a loved one to be taken care of until you’ve set foot in your new home. This will keep them safe and free of stress, as animals may not adapt to changes just as readily. Welcome your moving team with a warm gesture and offer them something refreshing, like a drink or so. This will help them start off fresh and upbeat.
Keep yourself calm and steady. Moving out and saying your final goodbyes to your home can be an emotional experience. Try to make the best out of your last day, by reinforcing positivity in yourself.
Show appreciation to the moving team, as #movers perform intense tasks throughout the day. Keep spare change on yourself to be able to tip them. Also, leave a positive review for them if they’ve managed to satisfy you. In case, you did not receive a pleasant service, express your dismay so the company can learn and resolve the issue by improving their services.
It's day 29, which means there's only 1 day left in my 30 Day challenge. Today I tackled the Desk, which always seems messy and cluttered no matter how many times I clean it. But on the way home from work today, I stopped at Staples and picked up some cute organizer boxes (yes, I caved to the Martha Stewart collection, but it's so CUTE!!!) then came home and made a once-and-for-all effort to Declutter my Desk. And I did it!!!! All the usual little random bits and pieces and papers and miscellaneous things are finally neatly stored into appropriate boxes, and the boxes have LIDS so even though the contents might be random, they still look neat. And I downsized the pen jar to something that's a little more visible, then re-homed a bunch of stuff that really shouldn't live on the Desk. End result: my Desk actually finally feels very streamlined and organized.
This photo belongs to the same series as The Dead man's brother
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
As part of the VRF Decluttering Group, this is the first area I will take on. It may not look so bad (I mean, clean off the couch and there ya' go!) but the real challenge for me will be keeping in decluttered for when guests come by. And having to make instant decisions and deal with stuff immediately.
2048 x 2048 pixel image for the iPad’s 2048 x 1536 pixel retina display.
Designed to complement the iPad iOS 7 lock screen, also works on an iPhone, simply centre the image horizontally after selecting it.
Typeface: Neutraface
Did a sketch in the office to distress. As I was sketching, my mind went calm immediately. Oh no, I need to declutter - there are piles of students' work on the floor, stack of files on the left side of the desk and my pottery stuff on the 'round meeting table' not to mention materials such as rattan, big and small twigs, plastics, bottles and found objects!
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
More stuff from DD's closet. Some various unmentionable underwear and a cap. The underwear just counts as one.
My long awaited heart shelf. I absolutely love it and apparently so does my daughter. As soon as we had torn off the paper, she was filling it with all the toys she had rescued from our post Christmas declutter 😄
I've tried Bring Forward Files and weekly hanging folders. This school year, I'm trying baskets. Photo by R-M Arca.
www.organizingbuddy.com - this is my nicely organized make-up table.
i'm looking for people to connect to organize, and to motivate each other with organizing.
roll over the picture for the comments.
i also have couple of really cool and really useful free downloads on my website.
pls click on the big size to see all details
This photo belongs to the same series as Show me a life.I'll photograph it
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
I have just had my first foray into the world of eBay. As part of my Project Declutter, we're getting rid of a few things, including some outgrown toys. I had fun setting up Kalu's knights for a last foray. I am particularly fond of the dragons!
cgi.ebay.com.au/Ultimate-Medieval-Toy-Knights-Set-Schleic...
The story is gonna be a long one.Please bear with me.
As almost every thursday, for the past few months, I've participated in the Utata.org "Thursday Walk" project.This thursday I decided to pay the birth village of my late father and consequently, my grandparents, a visit.After roaming around on the few streets of this small village (which lies in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is called "Hingene") and having taken some shots, it started to rain.I went for a coffee in a brown pub and waited for the rain to end or at least diminish slightly.It got dryer again and I packed up my camerabag and decided to hit the streets again.I didn't have much hope of shooting anything decent any more and was in fact heading back to my mountainbike.Now the village has some quaint little (uninhabited, or so I thought ) houses that date back maybe 150 years and on one of these little houses the door was open and I saw two people, an elderly man and woman, doing things inside this house.The man noticed me from inside and I said hello and asked him what they where doing.I asked the man if he was from this village or was born here and mentioned that my late father was also from this village and the man had known my late father well.In fact, they had gone out (partying) together when they where both young men (somewhere in the mid-fifties I presume) So the man came to know that I was in fact the son of my father and we started talking.The man's younger brother, age 55, had just passed away and he and his girlfriend where busy clearing out the little house where the departed brother had lived all his life.He (the departed brother of 55) had, I found out, had once lived there with a woman ( she to had previously, a couple of years before, been found dead in the house) that was well known in our community for her weirdness and awkwardness ; the woman's name was "Zotte Betty" (translated as "Crazy Betty" ) and one of her sons.The son of Betty, the crazy woman, had lived with the brother till the day they found him dead.
At that point I had to just ask if I could take some photos of the inside.This had to be a one time opportunity.A once in a lifetime chance.I appologized several times if I was being impolite or intruding ( after all, this man's younger brother had just died ! ) but the man and his girlfriend saw no objections.So I stepped through the little door and was immediatly struck by the ackwardnes of the place.How in earth people could have lived in such circomstances was beyond me.It most resembled the home of some horder who never in his live decluttered !
I will save you a detailed description of the state the place was in ; look at the photos and let your mind do the work.
On the other hand, the house was full of memories of a man who must have lived the live of a recluse and now his things, his memories where about to be thrown away, to dissapear.
The more I photographed the interior, the wallpaper with this frail golden color, the odd trinkets and old objects, the more the man and his girlfriend became at their ease and they let me share their thoughts and insights in the life of their brother( in law).The woman even let me take a couple of shots where she was on inspite of her being very wary in the beginning.
I am deeply indebted to these people who have let me in in their personal lives whilst in the midst of a beriefment.
I express my gratitude.
These photos where taken with love.Be so kind as to threat them that way.
copyright Ange Soleil ( a.k.a Tweng) 2008
I'm not a morning person. Unless of course it's to go to the beach and watch the sun rise. But that's a rare occasion saved for summers. There is one beckoning though. It's the gentle light of morning across white curtains and soft blankets.
Small clip (pick up at your local hardware store) is attached to an l-bracket, which secures the pegboard to undersurface of desk. If I need to pull down the entire pegboard to re-arrange wires, etc. this will make it that much easier.
Taking some time to declutter my brain at the lake with my brother and sister-in-law who are visiting from CA. Enjoy watching the birds and boats.
Two old t-shirts, ratty blue one for some reason I kept in a drawer, and a t-shirt that shrunk in the wash.
(c) Lee Live: Photographer www.leelivephotographer.com/
For commercial usage of this image please visit:
ourdream.smugmug.com/Talks-and-Lectures/2018-Life-Pod-Int...
The thing I enjoy most about photography is I never know what I might see find to capture. I enjoy the colors of sunsets, the challenge of capturing a tack sharp moon shot, and wildlife when I get lucky. Sometimes I look for the uncommon in the common. This shot is of a fallen tree worn by years of river water passing over, around, and on this day, below. I was drawn to what looks like an eye on the broad head of an elephant, with tusk and trunk leading into it. I converted to B&W and added a vignette to declutter the other roots protruding out of the water and emphasize the focus on the eye. Once again, not my typical capture, but I'm really pleased with the result.
Photographed on the backwaters of the Mississippi River near La Crosse, WI.
This Precious Moments colouring book... I've had it since before I was even a teenager yet. Though I didn't colour in it anymore, I managed to keep it and it survived a lot of moves. Now that I've been into colouring again and also trying to declutter a lot in my life, I decided to finally finish the book! It's very nostalgic to colour in it! I'm putting the coloured sheets up on my whiteboard to display for a while and then it'll be gone after. But I thought this was a better way to enjoy the childhood memory than to just store it for years!
For this sheet, I used Rowan's childhood vegan crayons from Melissa & Doug. But after this one I switched to pencil crayons as I like them a lot more.
Do you have broken sunglasses? If you won't fix them, toss them.
Used at: hellotidy.co.nz/broken-sunglasses/
Image Source: Disposable Society by Kurt Bauschardt - www.flickr.com/photos/kurt-b/13731026573/
I stopped at the Container Store today after another errand. It was my first time and I was apprehensive. I wandered the aisles for awhile, looking for useful things and trying to think about our storage needs. I was afraid it was going to be ridiculously expensive, but all together everything was only forty bucks.
Last week Andy got two brand new, identical monitors for his desk, and he gave me his widescreen. So now I use that as my main monitor, and my old, regular-sized one as the second. To fit the two monitors, I had to get rid of an IKEA dokument. I spent some time going through all the paper that had collected in two of the trays, using expandable folders leftover from my teaching days. I used one of them to collecting the growing pile of paperwork associated with all of the business stuff. That folder is now on the top right shelf for easy access/drop-in. The top level of the tray collected an assortment of trinkets and things, and some of them I put away and some of it I still don't have a home for. Nor do I have a home for the letter tray itself. It can go in my giveaway pile.
Today I bought a few clear plastic shoeboxes for storage in our bathroom/hall closet, because it is a mess, and the smaller bins I have in there are overflowing. I put one together tonight--all our medicine/pharmacy-type things--but there is SO much more work to do in there. Mostly getting rid of old makeup-type crap.
I also wanted some storage options for my desk, and I ended up with two medium stacking bins plus a slim paper file. Previously I had upright things just leaning, and an assortment of crap holding the vertical stuff up. Which meant things were in a jumble and constantly falling over. So going vertical with the smaller stuff storage was important. However, pretty much all of the storage pieces were large and flat, or large and tall and wide--and I need smallish and vertical. So the bottom one holds random stuff like pens, earphones, etc, while the top holds the stapler, tape dispenser, notepads, and the tiny bowl which has work keys and binder clips. The top left shelf used to have a precariously balanced full pencil bin, and now it's two pen cups, kleenex, and envelopes.
Overall it looks and feels SO much clearer and cleaner! I love that feeling. Except that then I look around at all the other places that need this kind of attention and I feel depressed, because it's everywhere. Oh well, baby steps. This is really good progress for me, and it'll be good motivation to keep going, in small bits.
Oh, and if you need some inspiration, flip through Unfuck Your Habitat. Seeing that occasionally has gotten the declutter/cleanup bug seeped into my head here and there.