EP 29: Physical Hoarding: Why we keep things and How to work through it

Why do we as Americans buy so much stuff?

- Post War Economic Policies - Mass Production and New Products - Advertising and Marketing Focus - Consumerism as a Cultural Ideal - Economic Growth and Stability as an Ideal - Large Consumer Market - Credit and Debt - Consumer Confidence

We desire to buy more things due to a combination of psychological factors, 

Reasons for hoarding: Pursuit of Happiness, Social Status and Identity, Excitement, Fear of Missing Out,    Coping Mechanism, Reward and Celebration

Marketing and advertising have all impacted us. 

Letting go is NOT impossible, we give specific ways to cut down on clutter in the episode. 

Start working on your own pile of things. Relisten to the podcast where I explain why you are keeping too many things. What values have you assigned to these possessions? Also, make decisions to use less, share more, reuse. Get a recycle mindset and live a healthier, less heavy life. It is incredibly freeing to have less possessions, to have less attachment to Stuff. 

Resources

-        "Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy" is available on Netflix

-        “The Story of Stuff” a short about the lifecycle of goods. It came out in 2007 and is a great short lesson on where our things come from and suggestions to cut down on consuming. 

-        Link for US consumerism: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-buy-crazy-amount-cheap-120000904.html

-        EP 17 Emotional Hoarding

-        EP 11, Dr,. Lisa Smith: Embracing Vulnerability