In this episode, I discuss Ren's song "Hi Ren," a mind-blowing exploration of inner conflict that blows apart ideas about the balance between darkness and light within us all. We'll unpack Ren's introspective lyrics, which explore themes like mental illness and creativity, and consider his take on life and what we can learn from it. I share how this song's impact has resonated with my own journey in dealing with grief and the inner critic.

Watch the original song by Ren here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_nc1IVoMxc&pp=ygUGaGkgcmVu 

Exploring impermanence, this episode highlights how these concepts can help us understand hoarding behaviours and the illusion of control. Looking at impermanence also includes addressing mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, coping with change, ambiguity and uncertainty. Yikes!

In today's episode, I ask Dr Chia-Ying Chou about the complex interplay between grief and hoarding. We'll explore how emotions like grief can trigger hoarding behaviour, the role an inner critic plays, and learn all about compassion-focused therapy – including why it’s so much easier to offer compassion than to receive it. The timing is perfect, coinciding with National Grief Awareness Week in the UK.

Today, I'm with Dr Jan Eppingstall, a Melbourne-based counsellor, about the fascinating art of kintsugi and how it connects with hoarding and trauma recovery. We explore how this Japanese tradition of mending broken pottery with gold has lessons for us about the therapeutic journey and the beauty in imperfection. We also discuss how these concepts apply to overcoming perfectionism in hoarding and highlight the empowering process of creating, destroying, and rebuilding.

In this episode, I propose ten experiments to help customise your decluttering journey, focusing on individual preferences to uncover what strategies work best in your home. These experiments encourage a flexible approach to dehoarding. It's all about tailoring your methods to fit your style and your personality, ensuring that decluttering becomes a more intuitive and effective process.

In today's episode, I talk about the strategies I've been trying to address over-acquisition and manage my finances, from savings pots to practising 'just-in-time' shopping. I explain how these methods, alongside mindfully resisting impulse buys and more, are helping me reduce clutter.

• Get your 2025 decluttering calendar: http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/2025 

Avoiding the chaos of complex idea capture systems is vital for preventing distraction and overwhelm. Today, I'm sharing practical strategies for transitioning from idea capture to action, breaking down large tasks into manageable subtasks and exploring tools like Google Tasks and voice assistants for prioritisation and organisation. Plus, I reflect on my own long-term struggle with to-do lists and how to experiment with different approaches to find a system that suits your needs.

• Simplifying Idea Capture

• Come to a Dehoarding Accountability Zoom Session: http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/ticket

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr Jan Eppingstall, a counsellor with a PhD in hoarding, to discuss the phenomenon of digital hoarding, where people accumulate excessive digital items.

We'll explore the emotional responses to losing digital content, the organisational and environmental implications of digital clutter, and strategies for managing our ever-growing digital lives.

From the nostalgic pull of old photos to the overwhelming influx of emails, this conversation reveals the surprising similarities between physical and digital hoarding.

• Introduction to Digital Hoarding