If you have hoarding tendencies and recently decluttered your space, understand that maintaining the new look for your home is up to you. No number of organizers or storage containers can keep a mess at bay without active effort. Now that being said, there are ways you try to lock in your new mindset in place. You can have a photo reference to remind you about how far you have come. When your things are out of place, think about what it can become.
Another is to change it as much as possible. You do not need a photo to remind to clean, but instead, let space speak for itself. You could go as far as moving to a new house or repainting your old one, but here are more straightforward changes or smaller projects you can take on yourself.
1. Replace your floors
After some time, there could be old food stains that have aged and stained your floors. Look for new floors from www.firmfitfloor.com to commit to the change of keeping your space organized and clean.
Take out old carpet and tiles in favor of vinyl floors. They are easy to clean, so even when you have moments where you backslide into old habits, you can reset without worrying about the stains that could haunt you the rest of your stay.
2. Display feature pieces
Another way to remind yourself about who you are and what you want is to have things on display. It must be curated and deliberate. Pick three to four items that you love, that remind you of love and keep them in a visible area. You can also hang photographs of happy and affirming moments to tell you that you are more than your physical possessions.
If you have a hobby or creative outlet, select one or two items to display as well. Your home is an extension of yourself. Some of these pieces can act as a non-written journal entry about your feelings and experiences.
3. Have a limited amount of storage
On a more technical level, you can try to keep your items minimal by allotting containers or cabinets to specific items – clothes over here, books over there. Limited storage will show you that you are accumulating things again. It is a visible test. How long did it take for you to fill up that space? Why did you keep those items? Is it a natural progression of collecting or were there events that triggered this? Reflect on your reasons and remember that memories and sentiment don’t have to be bound by objects.
Hoarding is very much a symptom of mental illness. It needs to be actively treated by a professional. It needs to be monitored by a community you know will hold you accountable. These tips are suggestions for efforts you can do on your end to turn over a new leaf.
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