A success story

Success stories in hoarding are not as common as we would like them to be. Too often we hear about the negatives of hoarding, and the bad consequences that can sometimes occur as a result. But today is different. Today we get to celebrate the success of Stephanie Evans who managed to turn her home around. When Stephanie appeared on Radio WM on 13/09/18, her home was the complete polar opposite to how it looked 3 years ago. She was even quoted as saying that she would of refused the interview had it been done at that time.

She said ‘I hated the way the clutter made me feel but I just couldn’t throw anything away —even if something broke I couldn’t part with it,’

‘I just told myself I needed more shelves and storage space and that one day I would sort it all out. Family would sometimes help me clear it, but I would fill the space again and this left me feeling even more of a failure.’

How did she do it?

To achieve what she wanted definitely took some time. The first step was when her daughter urged her to join a hoarding support group to which she agreed. As a result she joined one of the hoarding groups run by our very own Heather Matuozzo.

‘The first time I went there I broke down in tears,’ says Stephanie.

‘They all spoke of feeling ashamed and overwhelmed by the clutter in their homes and I knew how they felt. No one judged me.’

‘What the group has taught me is to forgive myself. Most of us have suffered some type of loss in the past, a bereavement or a trauma.’

‘One of the best pieces of advice I was given was that I should set a timer for 20 minutes once a day and attempt one tidying task. This stopped me feeling overwhelmed.’

Read on to find out more about Stephanie’s story and how she overcame hoarding…

 

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Remember, if you or someone you know is suffering from hoarding, you can contact us at www.facebook.com/CloudsEndCIC for help.

To read more stories like this one, why not take a look at some of our other blog articles here.