Humanizing Hoarding | Jennifer Hanzlick | TEDxBoulder

Thanks for reminding people about compassion

Standing ovation! Superb talk; thanks so much!!

I live in Delaware and I believe that Joe Biden and the Democrats stole the election. You believe this is possible or impossible. What kind of a country do you want to live in?

Such a wonderful message ❤️

I have no clever, attention grabbing, grand standing comment.... I just shut up, watched, and listened.... and "liked" the video.

It's easy to preach compassion when you don't live with them or ain't brought up by them. People who zip in and out, they only see one facet, not to mention there's a financial incentive. It's also easy to be patient when you haven't cleaned up for them many times and persuaded them to go for therapy for decades, faced their rage explodes and epic self denial, utter total refusal to go and utter total refusal to acknowledge how abusive they're. Not to mention, there're those with severely mental illness(es), they believe their paranoia and often accuse their loved ones, cleaners and maintenance crew of stealing, then believe their grandiose delusions, how will become famous with stuff they hoard for art, art they do not do! Then there's mould, dust, pests and deterring others from doing basic cleaning. You go live with them for 3 months, then talk. Kids end up with asthma, weak immune system and get food poisoning.

God bless you!!!

Amazing and eye opening stories.

Choose compassion

Hoarders would murder their own mothers in exchange for an empty bottle to fill their urine in.

They're incredibly selfish people.

❤️

Tfs

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Excellent talk!🙂

You have just repaid that good Samaritan who comforted your children on your lonely journey. And what is more you have helped others who need some kindness.

You are a beautiful person on the inside and outside.

Thank you, that was great!

Compassion is paramount , hoarding is a sickness that affects the hoarder's family : tremendously ! People ; friends , and family will leave or die and most hoarder's will keep hoarding .

that is impressive

That was beautiful. Thank you for putting this message out there.

Jennifer is truly a good person with levels of empathy I aspire to connect with.

beautiful, compassionate…thank you

I grew up in an extremely messy house that was borderline hoarding house. I remember being extremely embarrassed for my friends to come over. You could never see the countertops in the kitchen, and trying to make a meal was an all day process because you had to try to clean a spot before you could even attempt to make anything. I moved out young, and vowed never ever ever to have a house like that. I keep my house quite minimalist and impeccably clean.
Honestly it’s not that hard to keep a tidy house. Simply pick up after yourself, and have a chore schedule. I have a three bedroom house and it only takes 40 minutes a day to keep it clean all the time.

I know that my mother was quite depressed, and my dad was simply a product of his generation and expected it was a woman’s job to do the cleaning so it just never got done. I think depression is usually the cause of hoarding. I will admit though, growing up as a kid it made me angry that my mom just sat in the kitchen smoking and listening to the radio and rarely did any house work. I would go around and clean things, but nobody would respect the fact that I just cleaned.
Within a few days it was just the way it was before.
As a teenager it made me retreat into my bedroom and never want to leave it unless I was going out with friends. I disconnected from my family because sitting in the kitchen or living room or family room was just too disturbing. I simply could not relax in that house. I remember I would babysit the neighbours kids and use the money to take my own clothing to the laundromat because our washer and dryer never worked properly and they were literally mounds of mouldy clothes all over the floor in the basement where our washer and dryer lived.
I loved my parents don’t get me wrong, but living in that house messed with my head so hard. I didn’t get to have a normal childhood or teen development because I lived in a physically and mentally toxic environment. Sometimes I wonder if hoarders even think about what they are doing to their children.

God bless you.

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What a beautiful story at the end! Thank you so much for your vulnerability in sharing!

So sorry. God's love and peace to all

Bless you Jennifer. You used your troubles to help others.

Amazing speaker, we need to spread love as God is love. Help each other through our kind words, actions or just by praying for them, God Bless us all!

Excellent!!

Hoarding is a form of gluttony.

Wealth disparity breeds hoarding. One component, fear of "needing" & not having causes the "might be good for sump'm some day" activity. I see it with my tenants & it was the same with my parents. Poor peeps are hoarders of junk. Rich peeps don't do it. There aren't many mansions full of junk, they're always the most sparse, barren, empty spaces, arguably reflecting exactly the same quality of the owners of those spaces. Rich or poor, both are diseased & in the US it's getting worse every day. If you're balanced, you're optimal. If you're poor you're under much hoarding pressure & if you're rich, you're already just a diff kinda hoarder. I like having free space, physically & mentally. Might be good for sump'm some day.

Why's after people mess up claim it was a mistake? Think 🤔 before you do it!

Choose COMPASSION

One of the best TED talks I've viewed. 👍🏻

You are a very precious woman. Thank you for this.

Jim sees he has a problem. He asks for help. I wish my partner was ashamed and embarrased about her hoarding, that would be something I could work with. No amount of touchy feelyness will solve the abuse I suffer.

how beautiful thank you

This was so helpful. Thank you💖

Amazing. Thank you.

She is so beautiful. inside & out❤

This is the most beautiful representation and translation I have ever witnessed . Thank you for your compassion and your deep reverence to this complex process. A low bow. . .

The place I work at has been called several times to clean out a hoarders place. The first time the house looked exactly like you may have seen on TV. A tiny little path between mounds of stuff. The other I remember is a house where we cleaned out two and a half rooms of books. It took all three of our vehicles plus our 14 ft. trailer to haul it all. The judging part came for that first place came when the firepartment declared it unfit to live. The couples daughter eventually loaded up three industrial size dumpsters to get rid of stuff so her mom and dad could keep the house.

Wow this hit home.

My marriage is in ruins because my husband hoarding 😢

I lived with a hoarder.
I couldn't breathe. I had nowhere to eat that was clean.
Please, don't judge me!
I had to leave him. I was getting sicker and sicker.
Don't always have compassion for the ones who don't care what happens to the people they live with.
We are suffering!
And after we tried to help them, they blame us for everything.
It is a mental illness, but it destroys those who live with them!
We can't help those who refuse it!
The City told me," Please leave before this kills you!"
So I did. I have no regrets. He enjoys living like this. He is so much happier with me not there to beg him to stop.
Don't think they all want help! They don't.
I lived like this for 12 years. I know more about it than nearly anyone.

Thanks for sharing. 🙏❤️

Beautiful heart warming words. Thankyou

Hoarding, like any addiction, is a coping strategy for people who have unresolved suppressed trauma issues. Our society has taught us to suppress these experiences which they see as « weaknesses ». However, this is not signs of weakness; instead, feelings of helplessness which could not be released and expressed, which is what is needed instead of shame. This talk is compassionate and shows us what we really need to do with all forms of addiction!

She made me cry like no other TED Speaker. Thank you ❤