If you are struggling with any aspect of a loved one that hoards, please know you are not alone!
Here are some helpful things that have helped me immensely over the years when it comes to handing the holidays & hoarding issues.
- Connect in a way that you can tolerate.
- Establish your boundaries & stick by them to retain your sanity.
- You decide how & where you want to spend your holidays.
- If you are concerned about gifts, only buy consumable items for them.
- If they insist on giving you gifts, use or dispose of them as YOU see fit.
- You are not required to eat anything that has spent time in the hoard.
- You are not required to stay in the hoarded house when you “visit.”
- Arranging to see them on a different day is perfectly acceptable.
- You can call them, send a card & be guilt free – you acknowledged them, that’s enough.
- If you are visiting, meet at a neutral location for a meal or get – together.
You may have other things going on in the relationship with your loved one, such as low contact or no contact, which also a viable decision and often is necessary to preserve our own mental well being.
Remember that YOU MATTER and YOU can choose how you spend your time every day of the years.
If you are looking for a different perspective on hoarding issues, please join us in The Hoarding Solution Community.
Tammi Moses is the founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of Homes Are For Living, LLC dba The Hoarding Solution which is a Veteran Woman Owned & Operated business focused on all the humans impacted by hoarding.
Tammi provides virtual consultations, training and workshops on the issue of hoarding. She believes in inspiring others to take their adversity and use it for the greater good. She is the voice of #AKOPTH-Adult Kids of Parents That Hoard. She is also a voice & advocate for #YLITH – Youth Living in The Hoard. You can connect with Tammi in various ways: Email directly or connect on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.