My hoarding OCD is back but when I successfully get rid of stuff my just right OCD kicks in 10x worse. What to do?

It is so helpful to see names for the different types of OCD. I stuck at a stage where just seeing names for the OCD I have, is relieving. I too struggle with hoarding and just right OCD. I was just trying to convince myself to throw something and did not succeed. It’s hard.

My doctor recommended thanking items you want to get rid of for what they have helped you with it helps when getting rid of them sometimes but the last couple weeks I’ve been hoarding and just haven’t noticed.

I have seen Marie Alonso but I was warned to not use her methods aside from thanking hoarded items it can reverse so you don’t keep anything out of fear. I do have items that I haven’t been able to get rid of and I am trying to combat that by putting them in boxes in my garage and if they have no use after a year then I can hopefully get rid of them.

Hi Swill, That's the case of "Relapse" which is common in OCD. One of the toughest challenges for someone with OCD. You feel like all the work that you did went down the drain. That usually happens when we forget about the thoughts and techniques, which one implements against OCD. My suggestion is that when you find an effective technique, write that down somewhere. Better, make a video of yourself or record audio, explaining about that technique. Read the note or listen to your recording almost everyday or once a week, depending on the intensity of your OCD. That may help reducing the chances of relapse.

Kondo sorry my phone has autocorrect

Yes I used to refuse to allow people in my room cause they wouldn’t understand why I have what looks like a mess but it’s a strategic mess. Maybe rent a cheap storage unit that you could use for the items that you can’t get rid of yet by hopefully will be able to

@Manny_V that is very good to know. What are some techniques that have helped you? I just keep trying to tell myself I have to throw them, but it does not work well.

That’s a good idea. It’s all so hard. For all of us.

I already have the compulsion of items causing things to happen and my compulsion is that something good has happened after I got the item and so now I can’t throw it. It helps me so much to hear the same fears. I feel so stuck. I have all these items and I feel like they brought me good things. I even do that with places. After I went to a place, good and positive things happened and so I now can never go back there or can never go back at the same time or some compulsion. I have it with everything. Even making phone calls. It makes my life very limited. I just mailed a letter that I had decided not to mail and I feel like extremely good things happened. The letter itself is not major, it was just telling someone a wish, but I wrote it and kept it on my dresser and then all of a sudden it became that all these good things are happening and it’s the letter. Then all of a sudden one day I was confused and said no I must mail the letter and this was two months ago and I went running after the mail and it was too late. I have been so terrified and terrified since then. I feel like I was given this wonderful chance to have a good life by not mailing that letter. And I messed it up myself and ruined it all, by suddenly mailing it. I feel so terrified and some days since I feel like I am terrified to get out of bed. I feel now what is the point, I was given a wonderful chance and I felt so powerful and like I was able to fight the more and then I mailed the letter and now I know what that kind of confidence can feel like and I can’t go back. I even ran after the mail next day but I was too late. I wake up most days for two months feeling now my life is over.

That’s tough. What your doctor says is very interesting. Have you heard of Marie Kondo, she’s been an organizing expert and worldwide sensation for years? That’s what Marie Kondo is famous for saying, thank your items. For me OCD and the fear is more and I can’t always throw.

That is so interesting. I can see myself getting fear the other way. I don’t have a garage and I have been trying the same, I’ve put items in boxes, but mine are in my hallway and so embarrassing. I feel like I can’t invite people over because I don’t know how to explain all the things that are here. Do you ever get that?

@Mackenzie One method I try is to fight OCD with OCD. If you have an item that you want to get rid of but can't because of compulsion, think about the negative things, which that item has caused. Eg: Someone gave me a pair of shoes, I have a compulsion to keep gifts and not throw those. So then I took the help of another compulsion, which is "An item may cause negative things to happen." Then I tried to recall the negative things which happened after I received those shoes. Now to avoid more negative things from happening, I have to throw the shoes away. That causes conflict between two compulsion. Eventually with me taking the side of one compulsion, the one with negative things happening... I take the decision that throwing the shoes is the best option. So use a compulsion to conflict the reason why you are hoarding a particular things. That may help. But be careful that if you chose to believe in the compulsion of items causing negative effects, it may be troublesome, so that technique needs to be used wisely, without making things worse.

Oh that sounds very tough. There may have been an incident at some point of time with you that someone would have given you something and you would have been happy, having that thing but then maybe you gave the thing to someone and then bad things would have happened and your mind would have picked the whole situation and would have stored in your subconscious mind. That's not going to be easy to fight that. A strong compulsion! Has something negative happened with you in the past few days or month?

I have another theory, when a Champion loses, he/she regrets a lotttttt, because the champion feels like the trophy has been stolen. But if the champion keeps on losing, he/she feels like "Eh, screw that. I don't care now." So how tough would that situation be for you, where you go at a public place in front of a trash can and then feel the pressure of everyone watching you so you have to throw something as you are in front of a trash can with stuff in your hand. Would you be able to handle that?

That is very perceptive of you. A lot of really bad stuff happened with my mom for like three decades. It’s odd to say that about my mom like that here. But it’s what happened and I always think all my compulsions are directly related to what she did and said to me for decades. Basically I was held hostage in plain sight and she was always using extreme fear to control me and she would say now you’ve ruined everything like if I spoke to someone or you’re so dirty and filthy and you’ve ruined everything for her and myself and I would have done nothing. So I see that all my compulsions seem to be the same words coming back. I am still powerless to fight them though.