By Andrea Umbach, Therapist at Southeast Psych www.southeastpsych.com

During this past holiday season, a Charlotte man was killed in an apartment fire. Police described him as a hoarder and speculated that the amount of stuff in his apartment not only provided additional kindling for the electrical fire but may have kept him from making it out alive. A tragedy such as this often makes us wonder if there is anything we could have done to help or to have changed the outcome. Although we cannot alter the past, we might be able to make changes in our own lives to prevent similar devastation or support others who may need our help.

1) Identify there is a problem. The first step is to recognize when clutter has become excessive and a significant problem for ourselves or our loved ones. This is often difficult since acquiring and saving items can elicit positive feelings in the moment. However, when looking at the bigger picture, it is often clear that hoarders are not living the life they want to be living. Instead, they have found themselves stuck in a hoarding cycle and do not know how to get out. The following points can be considered when determining if clutter has become a  more serious problem:

• Excessive acquisition and/or failure to discard a large number of objects
• Difficulty financially, spatially, or organizationally handling the quantity of items
• Clutter prevents or seriously limits the use of living spaces
  
• High risks including fire, falling, respiratory problems and health risks
• Cluttering, acquiring, or difficulty discarding causes significant impairment, distress, or poor quality of life

2) Recognize consequences if no changes are made. Typically we think of the reasons to keep all of our possessions rather than the reasons to make changes. However, hoarding can result in a variety of serious consequences:

• Difficulty finding important objects (keys, glasses, bills) creating more stress
• Problems  performing basic activities (cooking, bathing, sleeping)
• Inability to maintain and repair home
• Significant financial debt
• Relationship conflict or isolation
• Eviction or children being removed from home
• Health risks, injury, fire hazard, or death

3) Remember you are not alone. Hoarding has been estimated to occur in 5% of the population or 15 million people in the US. So there are many people who struggle with similar issues. There are also many researchers and mental health professionals who have focused on finding ways to help hoarding individuals. So far, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown to be the most effective treatment. Therapy can help to identify underlying beliefs and feelings related to hoarding, provide organizational and decision-making skills, and address any others issues such as anxiety, depression, or relationship problems.

4) Tips for family and friends of hoarders. One of the most difficult things for us to accept is that the individual who is struggling with hoarding needs to make his own arguments for change. We cannot force, threaten, persuade, or shame them into it. Also, we cannot do it for them. So unless the clutter is immediately life-threatening, the best we can do is to offer support and empathy. Instead of nagging or arguing, ask the individual how hoarding helps and hurts them, ask if their behaviors are consistent with their values and goals, and if are they living the life they want to be living. You can also emphasize the importance of spending time together rather than focusing on physical items or enabling hoarding behaviors. Lastly, share with the individual that help is out there. You can provide them with information about treatment as well as other resources such as professional organizers. Mostly importantly, we have to remember that change takes time. Hoarding does not go away overnight.

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By Robin McCoy.

Start off the year with a new mentality and watch Graham Hill’s TED Talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness.html

Hill is an architect by training and a simplifier by avocation.  His interest in reducing our environmental impact while simplifying our lives led to his founding of Treehugger and Life Edited.

Hill’s mantra is to “live little” by editing ruthlessly, monitoring spending and thinking small and multifunctional.  You’ll be amazed at how livable and sexy his 420 square foot condo is.

I suspect Hill would heartily embraced the philosophy of Antoine de St. Exupery who said, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away.”

It’s true!  < = >

By Catie Eller

To borrow a phrase from Young Life, I believe that any adult needs to “win the right to be heard” by today’s teens by first listening to their needs and building a relationship based on trust and understanding.  Serving two roles as a Simplicity Teens Organizing Coach and with Custom College Consulting allows me to do this.

Whether we like it or not, teenagers often tune out their parents, even when their best interests are in mind. With trivial matters, this is just a frustrating occurrence.  As teenagers set their sights on prospective colleges and universities, parental advice on how much to study, which sports to play, and how use their summers productively quickly goes in one ear and out the other.

When wearing my “Simplicity” hat, I take the time to understand a teen’s personal learning styles, individual interests and goals to design an organizational plan that best suits them. As a Simplicity Teens Organizing Coach, I help instill order in a teen’s home, particularly with their school work and maintaining a balanced schedule. Especially during those critical transitions between elementary, middle and high school, the systems and skills that I develop with teenagers through this curriculum will stick with them.  You can learn more about my bio at www.simplicity-organizers.com

While Simplicity Teens helps manage a student’s physical belongings and space, my role as a College Consultant addresses the other puzzle pieces of a teen’s life – such as setting academic goals, prioritizing their activities and researching prospective schools. Building upon my background as a College Counselor in private schools in Georgia and Texas, I am proud to introduce a new venture called Custom College Consulting. Wearing the “College Consulting” hat, I provide a customized action plan and valuable information for each family to guide them through the process of finding the right college fit for their teenager.

In many ways, Custom College Consulting helps your teen manage the activities of life, from sports to academics, in a way that allows them to reach their fullest potential. Regardless of where your teenager is in their educational journey, Custom College Consulting can help! You can learn more by visiting www.customcollegeconsulting.org.

Whether it is as a Simplicity Teens Organizing Coach or a Custom College Consultant, my hope is that you will allow me the opportunity to be an outside voice, partnering with you to help your student through their transitional teen years to develop a solid foundation that will help him or her to reach their full potential.

By Melissa Lee, Closet Contest Makeover Winner.

Melissa Lee, the recent Closet Contest Makeover winner, blogs about her closet makeover experience – in 3 parts. Click on the links below to check out the amazing BEFORE and AFTER photos and see the stunning transformation.

Step 1 – Organize! Simplicity organizers, Anne Steppe and Andrea Gill, and Melissa Lee sorted, purged and organized the closet’s contents.

Step 2 – Decorate! Melissa, owner of New South Design, added her own special decorating touches to make her master closet magnificent!

Step 3 – Design & Install! Closets by Design installed the custom closet.

AFTER