Joining Dr. Sree on today’s episode is Rebecca “Becky” Cook, a transformational coach and author with a background in occupational therapy. Her coaching program incorporates techniques from occupational therapy to be able to help clients deal with stress and get to the root of their problems. Access the FREE gifts offered in the podcast on this page.

https://seeta2durga.com/podcast/

[02:33] Becky’s Background

[03:32] Comfort in Clutter

[05:11] Becky’s Reasons for Hoarding

[07:44] Fear of Stepping Up

[08:31] Other Negative Coping Mechanisms

[09:28] Sensory Sensitivity and Sensory Processing Disorders

[14:50] Helpful Strategies for Eliminating Negative Coping Mechanisms

[17:06] Making Decisions for Yourself

[19:37] Breathing Exercise for Stress Relief

Sensory processing disorder occurs when there is an interference with the perception of sensations. It can be in the form of physical disability, autism, or even a highly sensitive personality. Becky reveals that she belongs to the latter category, making her hyper aware of more details and connections.

Living with sensory sensitivity can be overwhelming and stressful. For Becky, she copes by finding “comfort in clutter”. Other examples of coping mechanisms are emotional eating, excessive shopping, or social media addiction. All of these activities relieve anxiety temporarily. But left unchecked, they may prove to be detrimental.

Becky shares her strategies for dealing with her hoarding tendencies. She has a “one thing rule” wherein she must remove a single item from her storage. Her second self imposed rule is to replace old things whenever she makes a purchase. These small steps allowed her to gain momentum to continue discarding unwanted things. Dr. Sree believes that minor decisions like these are good practice for when we have to make more important ones. They also empower us to believe that we are capable of making right decisions.

Avail of Becky’s complimentary coaching session from her website: Confidential Coaching. You may also download Dr. Sree’s “Stop Cringing, Start Living” course on her website: Freeing Ourselves.