I had a client, who was also a friend, once tell me she was embarrassed to have me over. This is why, despite my offers to help her go through her things after a basement flood left her overwhelmed with all of her water-damaged belongings, she insisted she didn't need help. It took nearly a year before she had reached her breaking point and invited me over to help.
What I found inside was probably similar to what many other people deal with every day. It was stuff collected over time that had become more than she could manage. And that stuff left her feeling guilty, overwhelmed, and full of shame. I didn't feel disgust when I walked in. Instead, I felt sadness for her - that she was so consumed with these negative thoughts about herself and her things.
It didn't change the way I saw her. It wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. Life gets busy. Things build up. Before we know it, we have more things than time to deal with them. And that's nothing to be embarrassed about. That's precisely why services like this exist - to help people regain control of their stuff and their lives.
You do not need to feel shame or embarrassment about your stuff. We live in a world that (sadly) often measures a person's success by the things they have. We are bombarded with advertisements and marketing that is designed to make you think you need more. It's easy to become overwhelmed by all of it! But there's nothing wrong with you.
No professional organizer (or person, really) should make you feel ashamed. We are here to help, not judge. So if you've ever felt like my friend, please don't wait an entire year to reach out for help. Shed those negative thoughts immediately and let a professional help you reclaim your life.
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