Stuff stigma, erase embarrassment - life’s too short for it to be ruled by clutter, disorganisatio
11/07/2025
📣 Free workplace support for Autistic & ADHD employees
If you're autistic or have ADHD – or think you might be – and find some aspects of work challenging, you may be eligible for 12 months of free, personalised support through a national research programme.
We're sharing this opportunity from our partners, Brain in Hand, a digital coaching platform designed specifically for neurodivergent people navigating workplace challenges. It's being offered as part of a new research study , and participation is completely voluntary and confidential.
What’s included:
✅ One-to-one coaching from neurodiversity-informed experts
✅ A digital coaching app to help manage stress, focus and overwhelm
✅ On-demand support whenever you need it most
All you'll need to do in return is complete a 40–45 minute survey when you register, and again in 3 and 6 months.
🔔 Registration opens at 9:00 AM on Monday, 14th July – spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis (subject to eligibility).
Your information is private – your employer won’t see your responses or participation. This is about supporting you and helping shape more inclusive workplaces across the UK.
26/06/2025
Researchers from Canterbury Christ Church University are looking for participants for their study, "The Role of Social Media Content on the Diagnosis and Self-Diagnosis of ADHD."
The study aims to understand, through personal stories, how individuals come to terms with not receiving an ADHD diagnosis after identifying with ADHD-related content on social media.
If you're interested in sharing your experience, please scan the QR code or email kb978@canterbury.ac.uk for further information.
15/06/2025
Are you thinking of decluttering but worried that you'll be getting rid of things that remind you of memories of your past?
If the answer is yes, did you know there's no need to part with every single item?
By all means allow yourself to hang onto sentimental things - the ones that pay for their board and lodging with the positive energy from the comforting, pleasurable memories they gift to you.
For everything else take photos of them, and ask yourself:
(1) "Would I buy this if I saw it advertised on social media?"
(2) "Does this pay me enough "happiness rent"?"
(3) "What is the return on my investment by keeping ?"
(4) "Is the interest I'm likely to earn by keeping it enough to empower me to invest as much in my future life as I would like - a life that's unencumbered by possessions that hold me back and stop me living the kind of life I deserve?"
If after that you still can't decide what to do, try using the Hoarding Icebreaker Form to help you start a conversation with YOURSELF, and help you answer those questions.
If you had the opportunity to commission (and/or take part in) clinical research about SLEEP (to help identify possible causes of sleep-related issues and possible options of how to prevent and/or treat them):
- what might you choose?
- which group(s) of people might you suggest take part in the research?
And what's the justification for your choices?
13/05/2025
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TODAY - https://chng.it/tkBxJFTQf5
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Not only is it National Hoarding Awareness Week, it's also Mental Health Awareness Week, which is organised by the Mental Health Foundation.
Both campaigns aim to tackle stigma and increase public understanding of mental health (did you know Hoarding Disorder became a diagnosable mental health condition in 2013?) and how mental health problems can be prevented.
Sadly, many people affected by clutter, disorganisation and hoarding behaviours struggle with both their mental and physical health (often related to trauma and/or chronic health conditions), and are some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.
Many rely on benefits to help pay for essential treatments, transport and support (eg. from cleaners, personal assistants, carers and/or Professional Organisers to help them create and maintain order in their homes) - without which there's an increased risk of accidents in the home due to unsafe living conditions, as well as a strong likelihood that they lose any hope they might have of ever having some sort of independence, which in turn has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
So, please do us a favour and sign this Change.org petition, to help reduce the risk of the British Government introducing a new 4 point rule for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) which would require a applicants to score a MINIMUM of 4 points in at least ONE daily living activity to keep/get the daily living funding from 2026 (new claims and on reviews).
This change will deny access to the daily living component to those who are genuinely in need but cannot score the 4 points in a single activity.
The process of applying for PIP (and probably having to then appeal the decision) is an almighty challenge for the majority of people, so placing restrictions on those who are less able is discrimination of the highest order (in our opinion).
Your signature could make all the difference, so please sign it today.
It's the end of Day 1 of National Hoarding Awareness Week 2025 and since the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form was launched exactly 8 years ago today (on 12th May 2017) we're proud to announce that it's been visited online 14,792 times and been downloaded 2,786 times.🥳🥳
Please share this post and help us get to 15,000 visits and 3,000 downloads by the end of the week, so that more people know about it and can use it to start a conversation with their doctor/GP (or other trusted person or medical professional) and be treated/supported if clutter, disorganisation and hoarding behaviours is affecting their health and wellbeing or safety.🙏🤞
Thank you!
PS: Watch this space for daily updates on how many we've reached.
08/05/2025
Sending a couple of big THANK YOU's to Steff Lee of Kino Bino, the animation production company that has created Of All The Things - the short animated film (supported by the BFI that will be premiered next week (15th May 2025) during National Hoarding Awareness Week.
Thank you for helping to raise awareness of the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship amidst the challenges of hoarding disorder.
WHY? Because many of the calls we receive at Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form HQ are from family members asking for advice about their Mum or Dad who they discover has hoarding behaviours. In fact we have so many enquiries that we don't have enough time to respond to most of them!
And thank you for including our icebreaker form on the Hoarding Support page of your website.
WHY? Because by doing so you've made it easier for anyone whose health and wellbeing has been affected by clutter, disorganisation or hoarding behaviours (including family, friends, neighbours, etc) to ask their doctor/GP, clinician or other trusted person/professional for practical advice, support and medical treatment to help them feel better, less anxious, less worried and safer.
We’re proud to support this year by premiering our short film Of All The Things during this important week, 12th–16th May. The event also coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week.
Follow their socials or visit their website to discover how you can get involved.
16/04/2025
🧠 Can childhood trauma lead to hoarding behaviours?
�A new study by PhD researcher Emily Bates is exploring exactly that - and your insight could help shape the findings.
We’ve already collected promising data, but there’s a catch: most of our participants so far have been women. To ensure the results reflect everyone’s experiences, we’re especially keen to hear from men aged 18 and over.
⏱️ The survey takes just 5–10 minutes to complete, and your voice matters.�
🔗 https://vist.ly/3mzyyfp
It was a great pleasure being interviewed by Marvin Reid of Chill Winston UK this evening on Instagram Live as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
After a few technical hitches to start with we discussed all sorts of topics related to the some of the challenges related to being Neurodivergent in the context of clutter, disorganisation, hoarding behaviours, and how they affect and can be influenced by experiencing trauma, feeling anxious, and having impaired Executive Functioning.
It was fab having a few members of the Fastminds Adult ADHD Support Group on the call, as I'm a Peer Advocate and Trustee for the group, and we've learned a lot from each other over the years.
Key takeaways?
1 - Don't know where to start decluttering? Always start with safety first.
2 - Prevention is better than the possible painful consequences (pain is a great motivator) - it’s a mistake to think you’ll declutter/organise something later, when you have more time/energy or feeling better – there is ALWAYS something that gets in the way!
Ask for help sooner rather than later – don’t leave it until you’re feeling so unwell that you have no energy left to:
(a) reach out, or
(b) be involved in regaining your energy
3 - Executive Dysfunction can happen to anyone at any time.
4 - Although not everyone can afford to hire an APDO Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers member to help them bring order to life, body-doubling can help (in person and virtually), there are grants available from organisations such as benevolent work-related charities and Turn2us - Tackling Financial Insecurity Together.
Overcoming Chronic Disorganization: Finding Strategies That Work
20/12/2024
Giving physical gifts may be a social norm at Christmas and for other celebrations, but could be overwhelming for some people if their homes are already bulging with excessive personal possessions.
So, next time you're buying presents for people, please think about spending quality time with them instead, rather than money on things that could potentially become a burden for them.
You could spend time actively listening to people and non-judgementally showing a genuine interest in their life, their background, and belongings that are special to them (and how they came into their life) can be hugely rewarding, enlightening and therapeutic - for them and for you.
Who knows, if you're worried about the state of their home affecting their health and wellbeing, they may even open up sufficiently to allow you to help them fill in our Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form, or accompany them to see their GP about their difficulties or attend their first hoarding support group.
Another option could be spending time with them providing practical help and support, as long as it's at a speed that works for them, and they're the one who makes the final decisions about what they'd like to keep or let go of, not you.
Being present with empathy and practical support - what better gifts can anyone offer?
Alongside supporting clients one on one and through our support groups, we work tirelessly to raise awareness, understanding & accurate education for Hoardin...
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In 2018 the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified Hoarding Disorder as a mental illness.
It is just one of many conditions that can cause people to have too much stuff or become disorganised. Mental health conditions such as Anxiety and Depression can be diagnosed fairly easily, but often the co-morbid conditions that can be a root cause of the mental health and hoarding/disorganisation problems go undiagnosed, such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Conditions and Executive Dysfunction (difficulties with things like planning, organising, time-keeping and decision-making).
Similarly, the health of many people affected by chronic disorganisation or hoarding can be affected too, because of worry or frustration about a relative, neighbour or friend, or having being injured after having a slip/trip/fall, or being involved in a life-changing event such as a fire.
One such person is Cherry Rudge, who devised the original Hoarding Icebreaker form in 2015. She’s the daughter of a hoarder, and understands from personal experience the physical and psychological challenges of having a controlling parent and living with too much stuff.
Cherry created the form to empower people whose health has been affected by these types of issues to start a conversation with their GP or other medical professional, without having to feel traumatised or stigmatised by the experience.
She can relate to the many phone calls and emails she regularly receives from concerned relatives, friends, social workers, etc whose health has been affected because they’re at their wits end and need practical, non-judgemental, empathetic advice and support to help their family member, friend or client.
Cherry became a Professional Organiser after her mother died in 2009, and her father (the hoarder) was showing signs of Dementia. Her years of experience as a PA secretary, Marketer and qualified Project Manager lead her to become Marketing, PR and Partnerships Officer for The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) between 2011 and 2014, and Acting President from 2013-2014.
She is an advisor to the charity Hoarding UK, and is delighted to be a member of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Hoarding Working Group, and helped organise the first ever Hoarding Awareness Week in 2014.
Cherry devised the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form, to empower people whose health has been negatively affected by clutter, disorganisation or hoarding to gain help and support from a medical professional.
She is a volunteer for the Fastminds ADHD & Autism Support Group in Kingston-upon-Thames, and an active campaigner about health and safety issues associated with clutter, disorganisation (and Executive Dysfunction) and hoarding.
She is particularly proud to be collaborating with Jo Cooke (author of “Understanding Hoarding” and founder of Hoarding Disorders UK CIC) and Heather Matuozzo (Chair of Hoarding UK and founder of Clouds End CIC) to train, coach and mentor the next generation of Professional Hoarding Practitioners.
