CCD: Compulsive Clutter Disorder August 2, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Less IS More.comments closed
Clearing clutter from our homes and minds results in real benefits to our health and well-being.
To find previous posts, search “clutter.”
Now let’s talk about a few of the very real risks of refusing to deal with extreme clutter:
Illness, Injury, and Death.
Hoarding behavior is on the rise ~ a growing public health problem which results when people collect mountains of possessions and refuse to whittle down the piles. In extreme cases, hoarding leads to fires, attracts vermin, and results in health risks to occupants of crowded living spaces.
Studies suggest that 2-5% of the population suffer from compulsive hoarding behavior.
Although classified as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, psychiatrists have yet to determine if hoarding results from a compulsion or an addiction.
For that reason, psychiatrists may soon characterize hoarding as its own disorder, with symptoms of: persistent difficulty discarding possessions, strong urges to save items, and the excessive accumulation of possessions.
Whatever its cause and characteristics, excessive clutter can kill:
* Rescue workers drilled a hole in the roof of a suburban Chicago home to extract an 82-year-old woman’s body this month.
They couldn’t get through the doorway because her home was filled almost to the ceiling with cardboard boxes, furniture, clothing and other junk. She and her daughter had been crawling through tunnels to move around the Skokie, Illinois, house.
* One of the most famous cases dates back to the Collyer brothers of New York City.
In 1947, Langley Collyer was killed by one of the booby traps he had devised in his Harlem apartment to protect nearly 130 tons of junk. His older brother, Homer Collyer, who was blind and crippled by arthritis, starved to death in the apartment about 10 feet away, according to news reports.
* In February, a woman died inside her El Paso, Texas, home in a fire.
Newspapers strewn throughout her house fueled the flames, and firefighters weren’t able to reach her because of the clutter, said Felix Cabrera, a resources and external relations specialist at the Adult Protective Services in El Paso.
Due to its increasing prevalence, several cable networks now air shows centered around hoarding behavior and its dangers:
* TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive
* A&E’s Hoarders
* Animal Planet’s Confessions: Animal Hoarding
As demonstrated, hoarders attach excessive significance to objects and become unable to throw things away. Over time, they lose the ability to separate trash from treasure, viewing all objects as meaningful.
If we are consumed with possessions, those possessions may consume us.
For more information: Hoarding Called A Public Health Issue (AARP)
For tips on Decluttering: Declutter 101
Related posts: Simplify Your Life * Give Your Stuff Away Day * Between The Wish & The Thing * You Better Stop Shopping Around * I Don’t Want Stuff Anymore, Only Things (Raptitude) * Woman Found Dead Amid Clutter
A Politically Incorrect Joke August 2, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor, Joke, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
Dear Gentle Readers:
At the outset, I must warn you that this joke is politically incorrect, relying as it does on sexist stereotypes and characterizations to elicit laughter and tickle our funny bone chakras.
Nevertheless, it makes me laugh out loud every time it enters my stream of consciousness.
So, I’m going to share it with you here, knowing that my reputation as a purveyor of spiritual truth is at stake . . . and that you may condemn both the joke and me to your cyber wastebasket.
Just remember, I warned you . . .
What do you get when you combine GPS with PMS???
A crazy bitch who will find you!
Have a marvelous Monday!
For more cartoons by John Bell . . . The Bell Curve Cartoons.
Aphorisms from Aa to Zz: Ii August 2, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor.comments closed
Illness & Injury
The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter. ~ Chinese Fortune Cookie
Obstacles are opportunities in disguise.
It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a moment-to-moment basis. ~ Margaret Bonnano
Being sick is bad enough . . . paying the medical bills just adds insult to injury!
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. ~ Elbert Hubbard
It’s hard to be upbeat when pain is drilling away at our flesh & bones, eclipsing all else in the Universe ~ like Fourth of July fireworks exploding from within.
A hearty belly laugh often provides several hours of effective pain relief. ~ Norman Cousins
If someone says they’re not feeling “up to snuff” . . . does that mean that all vices are off limits?
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Teddy Roosevelt
Between the wish and the thing, life lies waiting.
The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it. – Moliere
Infinite Possibilities
In uncertainty, lies all possibility. ~ Ancient Wisdom
Our infinite worth lies beyond all labels.
When nothing is certain, all things are possible.
Life is good, except for the bad bits (which, in hindsight, often become good bits, too).
Revel in uncertainty.
Create the life you want to live. Unleash your imagination & let it run wild!
Skate to where the puck is going to be . . . not to where it’s been. ~ Wayne Gretsky
Paint your world the way YOU want it.
When we understand who we really are, we free ourselves from the illusions that hold us back.
It’s amazing the things we find to do . . . to avoid doing amazing things.
Infinite possibilities await.
Integrity
People are unhappy because they aren’t being truthful with themselves. Being truthful with yourself plugs you into your inner power. ~ Suze Orman
When you stop hiding who you are, you have more energy to become more fully who you want to be.
Without freedom, one’s creativity cannot bloom.
When we are enjoying the journey, we stop worrying about finding our intended audience ~ we trust that our intended audience will find us.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
To be a success in life is more than racking up dollars in your bank account . . . it’s about being the best YOU that YOU can be. Success is sharing the best parts of yourself with the world.
Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work. ~ William Arthur Ward
Don’t sacrifice your values to reach your goals.
If the whole world followed you, would you be pleased with where you took it? – Neale Donald Walsch
I’ve never liked the quote, “Good guys finish last,” because it implies that greed, and power, and arrogance will get you to the finish line first . . . but that’s not the finish line that I’m aiming for.
Always remember that you don’t have to be what they want you to be. ~ Mohammad Ali
Happiness flows from being true to yourself.
He who trims himself to suit everyone else will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull
If you’re already walking on thin ice ~ why not dance?
When you stop trying to impress others, you will discover your infinite worth.
Be who you are and say what you mean, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss
You have as many reputations as you have acquaintances. None is accurate. Be authentic. Discard your masks.
What will they find when they google you? Quantity or Quality? ♥ ♥ ♥
Intuition
The quieter your mind becomes . . . the more you hear.
Be intuitive: Pay attention. Look within.
Use all your senses, including your intuition, to guide you through life.
Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live. ~ Goethe
In the silence of not doing . . . we begin to know what we feel.
Knowingness born of intuition is the soundest base for action.
When we know what we cannot know . . . we know we’ve seen a glimpse beyond the veil.
Awaken to Spirit and you will know.
Related post: 101 Inspirational Quotes (Always Well Within)
Spirit Lights The Way 