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Too much stuff

katz

MyPTSD Pro
Why does being crowded by "stuff" make me so uncomfortable? I'm helping my in-laws and husband clean out his mom's house, so a lot of stuff is coming to our house. I have been on edge for a few days now and can't sleep. This makes work much more difficult. I have even felt myself go into a panic over this while driving home. I would think that just some cleaning up would help - but it doesn't. I still feel a panic like I'm being smothered by a pillow. Help !

When my last partner passed away unexpectedly, I was left alone for a few years. I actually packed almost everything into boxes, so the house felt more empty. (And I was preparing to move) Sound weird? I'm thinking of doing it again, but this time I feel like just throwing it away instead of packing it up.
From my own perspective, I feel like it is my stuff, so if I want to throw it away, it's my choice. Right?

How does the feeling of being suffocated go along with PTSD? I'm not sure how it fits into it. Ideas?
 
dunno why that is for you, but in my own case it is the fear of being buried alive and a hysterical disrespect for hoarding. hoarding runs in my family and i never have to look far to see other hoarders who bury themselves in worthless possessions that quickly breed biohazards. packing and moving my mother's hoard piles coast to coast (literally) left an indelible mark on me, as did her hoarder housekeeping. i have yet to meet a hoarder that ever cleans their precious piles.

give me wide open, easy clean spaces. . . i need both room and freedom to dance. alas, my battle to maintain open spaces in my current home was lost in the inheritance of 3 orphans, currently ages 9, 7 and 4. i'm somewhere between too exhausted and too lazy to keep up with THEIR hoard piles.

yup, your right to enjoy open spaces. many of the second-hand stores will pick up substantial donations from your curb.
 
Seriously?

1. Change.
2. Your space. That someone else is f*cking with.
3. Powerful emotions from someone you care about.

How that wouldn’t throw anyone for a loop, I don’t personally parse. But I’ve had PTSD my entire adult life, so? There’s that. Wee bit of a control freak. Just being the tip of an iceberg.
 
Why does being crowded by "stuff" make me so uncomfortable? I'm helping my in-laws and husband clean out his mom's house, so a lot of stuff is coming to our house. I have been on edge for a few days now and can't sleep. This makes work much more difficult. I have even felt myself go into a panic over this while driving home. I would think that just some cleaning up would help - but it doesn't. I still feel a panic like I'm being smothered by a pillow. Help !

When my last partner passed away unexpectedly, I was left alone for a few years. I actually packed almost everything into boxes, so the house felt more empty. (And I was preparing to move) Sound weird? I'm thinking of doing it again, but this time I feel like just throwing it away instead of packing it up.
From my own perspective, I feel like it is my stuff, so if I want to throw it away, it's my choice. Right?

How does the feeling of being suffocated go along with PTSD? I'm not sure how it fits into it. Ideas?
For me it's two things--my mom hoards, and six years ago my husband and I had a bad time and our house got cluttered and that was part of what freaked out his mom and made her talk me into treatment that I'm now dealing with PTSD from.

In your case--you mentioned that you cleaned up a lot after your last partner passed away. Did your house have a lot of stuff in it at that time? It might be reminding you of that time the way clutter in our house reminds me of a bad time in my life.

It also sounds really intrusive, having a bunch of stuff suddenly shoved into your space, especially if packing stuff up is soothing to you or gives you a sense of control over the situation. Also, I'd say you're 100% correct that it's your right to get rid of your stuff if that's what you want to do with it. It's just stuff, and if purging it from your space makes you feel better, I'd say the boost to your mental health is absolutely worth it.
 
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