The Hoarder in You

How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life

By: Dr. Robin Zasio

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

We all have treasured possessions - a favorite pair of shoes, a much-beloved chair, an ever-expanding record collection. But sometimes, this emotional attachment to our belongings can spiral out of control and culminate into a condition called compulsive hoarding. From hobbyists and collectors to pack rats and compulsive shoppers - it is close to impossible for hoarders to relinquish their precious objects, even if it means that stuff takes over their lives and their homes.

According to psychologist Dr. Robin Zasio, our fascination with hoarding stems from the fact that most of us fall somewhere on the hoarding continuum. Even though it may not regularly interfere with our everyday lives, to some degree or another, many of us hoard.

The Hoarder in You provides practical advice for decluttering and organizing, including how to tame the emotional pull of acquiring additional things, make order out of chaos by getting a handle on clutter, and create an organizational system that reduces stress and anxiety. Dr. Zasio also shares some of the most serious cases of hoarding that she’s encountered, and explains how we can learn from these extreme examples - no matter where we are on the hoarding continuum.

©2011 Robin Zasio (P)2011 Tantor

Hoarder that is me!

This is the best book so far I have read (Audiobook) about hoarding. Why people hoard, with good examples and how to overcome.
I have read many books about cleaning and purging.
But this book explores deep details about cleaning and how to keep your home clean!

informative and compassionate

loved this book. Comprehensive, informative and I lived that she was so non judgemental. good read

Useful... and also not

I grew up in a hoarder house and am a compulsive shopper - though I don’t have any problem getting rid of things. Actually, I get rid of all the things without considering their value or usefulness. My house is tidy and organized with very little clutter, though I have to constantly purge. routine cleaning is something I have had to work very hard at, as I wasn’t ever made to do it as a kid. Yet, I am terrified of becoming a hoarder. This book gives an interesting view into hoarding, cluttering, shopping, organizing -among other things- but I found myself feeling overwhelmed at the suggestions. The descriptions of “how great it would be” to have an orderly home made me feel like my house wasn’t good enough as it is- As if the comparison home is the most orderly, organized, spotless home. The idea of asking an entire list of questions about every single object made me dread the idea of even opening my closet. I understand that I don’t have problems with anxiety around my things (other than acquiring too much) and perhaps this book just wasn’t meant for me.

I also found the weird use of gendered pronouns, changing from one section to another, to be distracting. And sometimes the narrator used strange inflections that made sentences seem to not make sense.

I guess it just comes down to this - the information about the psychology behind hoarding and the hoarding continuum was interesting and helpful to know. The step by step instructions were not. I’m glad I bought it and read it, but disappointed in the last third.

Helpful and Applicable

Many ideas I can put into place immediately, others just gave me anxiety because I can't get to them all right away!

Interesting

Book was very interesting and got slot of good points for my own life. I am not a hoarder but got me moving to start going through my house to get rid of things I am not using etc.

Excellent book

This is full of advice and helpful hints in a caring, compassionate manner. I really enjoyed this and recommend

A Polished Life

Would you listen to The Hoarder in You again? Why?

Yes as this has great reminders to the listener when they have been on their way to de-cluttering their life, and have slipped their own leash so to speak, to get back on track.

What did you like best about this story?

This the second book I have gotten on the daily deal regarding de cluttering your life. 1st was good to realize "I am a compulsive ...." This book is a bit softer but gives many tips to people WHO want to simplify their life and eliminate stress of always having to find a place for things instead of getting rid of items when self realization failed to kick in.

What about Cassandra Campbell’s performance did you like?

She excelled in this book. I thought I was in the author's session.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I have not finished as I write, but wanted to encouraged others to buy this daily deal to help them eliminate areas of stress in their lives. I am a recovering hoarder and compulsive shopper who is always trying to "not buy just because I can". It is important to extrapolate from the illustrations if you want to get the most out of this book.

Any additional comments?

Note: I do use the new 1.25x speed to match the author's intent.

>If review was helpful, let me know. Thxs.

Non-judgemental Attitude Moves Clutterer Forward

I found this book to be very helpful in moving me forward from my tendency to clutter. Having an understanding of the underlying issues that can result in a tendency to hoard or clutter is extremely useful. The review of thought distortions that contribute and strategies to address clutter issues was particularly useful for me. I found the narrator a little annoying at times. She sometimes sounds inauthentic. Otherwise I highly recommend this book for those who have clutter issues and those who love them!

advice book -- a little tedious, but very helpful

If you could sum up The Hoarder in You in three words, what would they be?

Good advice for all of us to limit clutter or try to get rid of it.

Good for examining hoarding thoughts

I’ve listened to a slew of decluttering books lately but this one comes from a different direction. Many books start with an average house and attempt to explain the procedures and benefits of minimalism. This one, however, seeks to reduce even a slightly cluttered house by starting with a hoarded home. By examining the thought processes that those with compulsive hoarding tend to have, one can start to recognize one’s own cognitive distortions and try to correct them. Although the underlying idea is the same (declutter things you don’t love and bring fewer things in), this book tries to dig deeper into the “why” behind one’s accumulation of stuff. Although the average minimalism book was fine for helping me with most of my home, I really needed the deeper examination that this one provided for my problem area. It’s something that I’m still working through and building new ways of thinking for, but I’m heading in a positive direction instead of being stuck. Excellent book for those who aren’t looking for minimalism but just normalcy. The only drawback are a few sections with a lot of lists that got pretty tedious in audio format.