Are you a negative self-talk hoarder? If you are not sure, please read on…
Hoarding is a lifestyle that traps people by cluttering their personal space. Not only does hoarding dominate a person’s life, it interferes with everyday functioning.
Two types of hoarders exist: Physical hoarders and mental hoarders.
Physical hoarders are weighed down by possessions. Mental hoarders are burdened by negative thoughts.
The TV show “Hoarders” depicts people who have difficulty letting go of their clutter. No matter what the object is in their living space, a hoarder will resist getting rid of that outdated object with every ounce of their being.
I remember an episode of “Hoarders” about a woman whose house was overrun with piles of old newspapers, used food containers, dirty clothes, and knick knacks. The mess was so overwhelming, she had to sleep on the couch with practically no room to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Even when she was confronted by the TV host, she understood her lifestyle was unhealthy, but just couldn’t let go of her clutter.
As I watched, I wanted to yell out, “Throw away the damn out of date newspapers. What the hell are you going to do with them, THOSE NEWSPAPERS ARE TRASH!”
A hoarder feels trapped and overwhelmed by the clutter collected over the years. Hoarders are victims of their choices.
Mental clutter hoarders are also weighed down by their choices. Mental clutter hoarders firmly grasp onto negativity. Mental clutter hoarders store in their minds the negative comments and criticism thrown their way from parents, coaches, teachers, friends, and coworkers from years past. In addition, mental clutter hoarders add to their collection of negativities by contributing their own negative self-judgments.
When you pile up negative clutter, you find it difficult to navigate your world. Even though you know negative thoughts are unhealthy, you desperately clutch on to those thoughts.
Negativity collected over the years needs to be dealt with a bit at a time. No magical pill exists. You can’t wish away internal clutter. You need to do some work.
Take a realistic approach. Just like the person who has a house filled with trash, you have to throw away small piles at a time.
To reduce the mental clutter, you must challenge one thought at a time.
Here’s an example of challenging a thought: Do I really need to hang onto the negative comment, ‘You’re fat and ugly,’ from my ex in 1999? Does holding onto this thought help me lead a happy, healthy, and successful life? Hell, no! Why am I holding on to it? Time to trash it and move on.”
Challenging your thoughts helps take a bit of the sting away but is by no means easy. In fact, that shitty comment may break out of the trash can and sneak back in your head space. Keep challenging those thoughts you hoarded. Be consistent.
When you remove some of the negative mental clutter, you can start collecting productive, positive, and healthy thoughts.
After all, you deserve a clearer path to success and happiness!