Decisions... Decisions...

Not only can I relate to the "internal debate" thing, I can see how I have a problem making decisions that do not involve the word "later." At first, it seemed that my awareness of this increased my inability to decide. Like being aware of the problem increased the problem. But then I discovered that the problem was my focus on the problem.

Thinking, I can not make decisions well, or even, I need to learn to make decisions, emphasizes the problem and keeps me stuck. However, thinking more along the lines of, I am learning to make decisions well, or, I can become an effective decision-maker, one decision at a time, keeps my brain in the solution, and according to many professionals in the field of brain-science, this is extremely important. Some even say that lying to yourself may work - a "fake-it-till-you-make-it" sort of thing, and that saying to myself something like, I am a good decision maker, can actually help me to become a good decision maker.

Published in 2013, the American Psychiatric Association added Hoarding Disorder to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD),  Hoarding Disorder is characterized by the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions. Excerpts from the fact sheet on Hoarding Disorder state, "For individuals who hoard, the quantity of their collected items sets them apart from people with normal collecting behaviors. They accumulate a large number of possessions that often fill up or clutter active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that their intended use is no longer possible."

While many signs and effects of hoarding are apparent to me in my home, for years I have insisted that our situation is more likely due to circumstances and not a mental health issue. Perhaps it is time I re-phrase the lie I have been telling myself. For after all, Dr. Phil's definition of insanity seems to apply to my circumstances. So let us stop the insanity. Let us, anyone guilty of saving too much stuff, start the cycle going the opposite way. One item a day we can do this. We'll call it - The One Item A Day Dispersal.

So who's with me? We'll start on my favorite day of all days - tomorrow.