Hi, and welcome. Mo, you did amazing work but you find yourself looking at what has not yet been accomplished? Write down (at home or here on the boards) what you DID accomplish and it will help. When our hoard or squalor is severe to begin with, progress does not show very well.

For me, it helped to take "before" pictures of each of my rooms. Then I hope one day to have great "after" pictures. I had a professional declutter team come through so I have "for now" pictures which are dramatically different. I am "in recovery" and working toward a final, happy situation.

I find that I have to come to these boards each day in order to keep going. I need some happy feedback on what I AM able to accomplish today, and I need not to look at the still to be done projects that tend to glare at me from the corners.

Dianne is correct in saying that it can be very emotionally draining to go through the tossing out or otherwise disposing of our things. One of the basic tenets of hoarding is that there has been emotional trauma at some point and we turned to hoarding to stuff our feelings. Buying new things can be a temporary high, but it adds to the hoard, rather than dealing with underlying causes or alternative ways to soothe ourselves.

At any rate, congrats on what you've done, and I hope to see you actively here!

When I start to feel discouraged I go back to the days when I was happy just to fill one plastic grocery bag with trash and get rid of it. It's so easy to get overwhelmed with clean-up projects and sometimes we just need to take a step back.

Don't beat yourself up. What if you were an author and had writer's block? Would you give up on that novel you were a third of the way done with? Probably not. Especially if what you had already written was great stuff. 🙂

Thanks Tillie, great advice! I copied it onto a file I keep of motivational things to read when I get discouraged.

A new day, a fresh start. 🙂

Make sure that the task you tackle is broken down into a small enough task that you can complete it without becoming burned out.

Plan to clear and clean one square foot or one table top.
Or set a timer to work on an area for 5, 10 or 15 minutes.

Playing your favorite music helps keep your mood up. You can work for the length of a song.

When this is completed always step back and admire the GREAT! job you have done. 🙂

Forget all the rest that still needs doing.

Enjoying what has been completed can be very motivational to do another small area.

Cleaning 1/3 of a room is wonderful progress in the right direction!

Always stop before you get frustrated or completely exhausted.

Remember to schedule in breaks. Drink plenty of liquids and eat meals on time.

Remember that things did not get out of control over night and you can't be expected to put it all back together in a day.

Keep the bigger picture in mind.
How having a clear and clean home will help you.
Peace of mind. Family & friends able to come over. Not tripping and falling. Being able to locate whatever you are looking for.
Not having the constant fear that somebody will see or report you.

You are a work in progress. Smile when you see your progress. One baby step at a time. 😀

Thanks Andi those are good tips.

Right now I'm stuck with my negative glasses on. Even if I get a little done all I can see is the bigger mess. 🙁

To prevent burn-out, I've been trying to concentrate on one or two tasks a day. Also, when I am finished with those things, I am working on emphasizing to myself how well I did. I take a moment to pat myself on the back instead of noticing how much I didn't get done and what more needs to be done.

For example, I spent 2 days cleaning my room and only have a third of it done and it wasn't even the worst part of the room! So, I was getting down on myself until I realized, that a third of the room was complete--something that wasn't true two days ago. It's a good start. It deserves a moment of recognition before making lists about what still needs to be completed.

1. do one or two tasks a day.
2. take a moment to congratulate yourself on what did get done before noticing all that still needs to be done.

Hey Mo,