To Progress and Beyond

Just before the school year started I decided to organize my bookshelf. The shelves were filled with books, movies and box sets of TV shows. Every shelf was double stacked and balancing precariously on each other. Organizing my shelves was no easy feat. It took me a whole day, not only because I have a lot of books, but also because I needed to get rid of some. I knew I wasn’t going to read some of them again and some of them were from when I was preteen. I ended up with two huge boxes just sitting on my floor but my bookshelves were alphabetized. What happened to the boxes of books? Inspired by cleaning my closet, I moved the boxes to the trunk of my car to eventually donate. I’ve made the next step, but as it’s easy to tell, I’m not quite there on the follow through.

I have not met my goal in fully cleaning my closet, but I’m all right with that. I’m busy with school, homework and working at my part-time job. I know, I know, these are excuses, but I’d say they’re pretty good ones. Throughout writing this blog, I have been conscious of putting clothes back where they belong, either on hangers or in drawers. I’m proud to say that there are no clothes on the floor. I have started compiling a garbage bag for items I don’t wear or want anymore. I’ll probably get more clothes at Christmas, but that just means I have to get rid of more to make space. Hold me to it, please. I also purchased clear bins to make my closet more organized. I would say that is progress.

I have talked about perfectionism and hoarding. I have talked about organizing and cleaning. It all comes down to one thing. Me. When I first sat down to write this post I was worried about failure, but I told myself to look at it in a different way. I’m in school and I’ve made progress. It’s not a lot, but it’s more than it would be if I didn’t write this blog. Even if it’s just little by little, eventually I’ll end up cleaning my whole closet.

Because this semester is almost done, so is this blog. I’ve had fun writing it but not so much fun cleaning, so thanks for reading.

Left: Clear bins for organizing clothes and other items. Right: Bag of clothes and purses to donate.

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STEPHANIE BELLEFEUILLE

Stephanie is a twenty-something Professional Writing student at Algonquin that can be found forever cleaning her closet. Which is what this blog is all about. When she’s not cleaning her closet, she is either reading, writing or watching copious amounts of television.

Stephanie can be found on Twitter and Pinterest. She also follows this blog The Happy Slob's Guide To Housecleaning

Collecting or Hoarding?

A couple of weeks ago, I was texting with my best friend and we were talking about my closet. I casually mentioned that I’m a hoarder, and she replied with the truth—as best friends do in these situations. Not for the first time since I started writing this blog, I thought: Am I a hoarder?

Compulsive hoarding is described by Wikipedia as a pattern of behaviour that is characterized by the excessive acquisition of and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment.

By this definition, I’m not. Let’s get one thing straight; I still live with my parents, so all of my stuff is confined to one room, and being in my mid-twenties, I’ve accumulated a lot over the years. I’ve kept certain things under the guise of “I can’t throw this out because I might need it” and “I’ll keep this because I’ve had it since I was little and I have fond memories of it”. There is a difference between collecting keepsakes and collecting junk.

If we’re going by a loose definition of hoarding of someone shopping too much and not being able to throw things out, then yes, I am a hoarder. I love shopping and I hate throwing things out. Is this because of the way I was raised? Or is it in my nature to want to keep everything? I’ll be the first to admit I’m a messy person at home. I’m not in denial about that. During the conversation with my best friend I say I’m a hoarder, but am I really? I have no problems throwing out actual garbage when I try and clean my room, which some hoarders find extremely difficult to do. Last year I donated three enormous bags of clothes, shoes, and purses with no problem. In fact, I felt relieved to be rid of it.

Hoarders have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that is manifested through hoarding. I have some tendencies that can be related to OCD, but who doesn’t? Thinking about this in a rational way yields scary revelations, but they’re important. Slow down on shopping and dispose of the things I don’t need anymore.

Looking at my closet, it’s easy to see that I have a lot of stuff but I feel like I have a mild case of hoarding. It’s hard for me to get rid of things, but not impossible.

The conversation between me and my best friend about being a hoarder.
 

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STEPHANIE BELLEFEUILLE

Stephanie is a twenty-something Professional Writing student at Algonquin that can be found forever cleaning her closet. Which is what this blog is all about. When she’s not cleaning her closet, she is either reading, writing or watching copious amounts of television.

Stephanie can be found on Twitter and Pinterest. She also follows this blog The Happy Slob's Guide To Housecleaning