I think that, to some degree, I have been a hoarder all my life. Even as a young child I didn’t want to throw anything away, and I also never had any idea of how to organise or categorise my things.
I remember not wanting to throw away Easter Egg packaging, because it was pretty, or in case I forgot what I had had.
I remember never using things (like writing paper, or craft kits), because if I used them they would be gone.
It’s only very recently that I have started challenging that last one. I wouldn’t use, say, some lovely bath lotions because once I had used them they would be gone. But then I realised that not using them was the same as not having them. If I don’t use something because it would be gone once I had used it, then it doesn’t matter that I’ve got it, because I’m not taking advantage of it anyway!
My parents threw little away, but always had a very tidy house (just don’t open the cupboards!). I throw little away, but live in chaos. I need that to change. And to change, I need to feel comfortable getting rid of things.
