Claim OwnershipClutter Chronicles
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Description
This podcast series is an ongoing conversation with Mary, who calls herself a recovering hoarder. She is willing to share her up-til-now very private life in an effort to be helpful to others, may they be packrats, someone who loves a hoarder or those who just want to understand something that's mystifying to them. We go step by step through the muck, the stuck places, the victories. We don't know when and if she will recover from her "unusual relationship with stuff." Come along with me and cheer Mary on as she does the very hard work of healing. Will she ever let me into her home? Stay tuned.
62 Episodes
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1This is my first conversation with Mary. Mary is slowly letting me into her life to share her story about her unusual relationship with stuff. She now calls herself a recovering hoarder, and she wants to help others by shining the light on this topic that is very difficult to discuss. Maybe you, too, have an unusual relationship with stuff or know someone who does. You get to be a fly on the wall hearing what until now, she has kept very private.
Mary talks about her childhood, her pain of feeling misunderstood and the shame that brought. She clung to her stuffed toys because she didn't know how to voice her feelings and later turned to shopping to soothe her anxiety.
Mary came to a crossroad in her adult life when she realized she was out of control. That was 10 years ago.
Mary shares her rock bottom low point and discovers that her stuff is getting in the way of living. She also discovers, miraculously, how to start taking better steps.
Mary shares when she was ready to admit that she was a hoarder, begin the healing process and let people help her. What's the difference between a minimalist (her husband) and a hoarder: someone who is in charge of their stuff and someone who isn't.
Mary’s epiphany question: Does buying things prove that she exists? Does each item validate her worth and if she lets each item go is it a chip away at her? "As I’ve been healing I realize the ridiculousness. I don’t have the clamor anymore. This is how you react when you make a conscious decision about do I like this or don’t I. Before it was what does this mean about me? Something internally has changed."
Mary tells us about going into therapy and getting zapped by a power greater than herself.
Living in her house full of stuff requires armor. What's it like for Mary to keep putting on and taking off the armor to fight the hoarding dragon? Also, what's her husband's perspective on all of her stuff?
Mary moves some stuff from her vintage clothing collection out the door.
More about the momentous clear out of Mary's vintage clothing and accessory items and what makes someone worthy of receiving her precious stuff.
Last time, we heard about the momentous clear out and what makes someone worthy of receiving Mary's precious stuff. In today’s conversation Mary returns to her childhood home where it all began.
Last time, we heard about Mary returning to her childhood home where it all began. In today’s conversation Mary experiences resistance after her recent success getting rid of some of her vintage clothing collection.
Mary talks about trying to make a 2nd vintage clothing store appointment in the midst of heavy resistance. She particularly wants to bring a precious vintage formal robe that she has loved and displayed for many years, one of her most favorite pieces.
Mary gets rid of her precious vintage robe and lives to tell the tale!
We get Mary's perspective on the Hoarders TV show and we discuss the email that she wrote to God. Notes:The person I couldn't remember is Peter Walsh. He's been on two TV shows: Clean Sweep and Enough Already.
We discuss how Mary stopped the inflow of stuff into her home by addressing her compulsive shopping habit. Also on deck: Will she or won’t she? Is Mary ready to let me into her home?
Mary lets me visit her house, and this is a very big deal.
This is the second episode of three we recorded during my visit to Mary’s house. In this conversation I see the worst, her most packed rooms and things got a little weird for us.
This was an overwhelming experience for both of us. Mary reveals what she really wants to be able to do with her time instead of worry about her stuff. And I awkwardly ask if she wants my help to get ready for her looming house inspection. How I wish I would have been more celebratory about what it meant for me to just BE in Mary’s house. Instead I jumped in to help. Because it was a victory - bringing shame into the light where it can't survive; that's what really matters.
Last time we finished up my momentous visit to Mary’s house. We had set a goal at the beginning our our podcast to let me into her home. Today, we debrief how that visit went for each of us.
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OMG ladies! You are doing a great thing here. I've been on this endless search of trying to figure out whats wrong with me and/or how to fix myself. Mary, you give me hope- I'm barely on episode 7 and I almost wanna check out the newer ones to see how you're doing now.. but I'll try to go in order. I am sooo Mary . . .and my poor husband ... thanks for showing me there's hope... im on the way to my first steps. :)