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Attachment to Objects

NAS82466

Hi, I'd like to know others' thoughts on an autistic person's attachment to objects.

I personally have a problem with hoarding that has recently got worse. It seems to be linked to my anxiety levels and, when I have things on my mind, it becomes a problem.

I'm thinking it might be linked to the idea of having a "worry toy", like a fidget toy. I often like to "fiddle" with an object in my hands whilst I'm thinking...

Also though, I seem to find sentimental attachments to put onto useless items more and more at the moment and I am finding it difficult to not do this.

I'm in my 40s and have just recently been diagnosed as autistic.

Any thoughts/advice?

Parents

  • I have a tendency towards hoarding and it runs in my family. I try and keep it under control, as I don't want to end up like one of those severe cases featured on the TV programmes.

    However it is a constant battle and requires a huge amount of mental effort to try and make a decision. On the rare occasion when I  can motivate myself to start the task of sorting out I often just end up moving things from one room to another. 

    I keep things as I think they might be useful or needed in the future. Even something like an empty Amazon cardboard box I keep, as it might be useful for packing if I move in the future. 

    In most cases it isn't a sentimental attachment I have to the object. I think the reason behind my attachment is often financial. I consider what the item cost me and do not want to waste that money by getting rid of it. Alternatively I might need it in the future and what I might have to pay to replace it if I got rid of it.

    I can't resist a bargain and if I find something going very cheap, a glitch or a misprice I will buy many more than I need of the item. Enough to last me many years or many lifetimes in some cases. I then have the problem of trying to store all of those items for however many years it takes until I am ready to use them.

    I am fearful of making the wrong decision, getting rid of something and regretting it in the future. A simple decision over one object can be so difficult. Multiply those decisions by the hundreds or thousands of items I need to sort through and the task soon becomes so overwhelming that I completely abandon it.

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  • I have a tendency towards hoarding and it runs in my family. I try and keep it under control, as I don't want to end up like one of those severe cases featured on the TV programmes.

    However it is a constant battle and requires a huge amount of mental effort to try and make a decision. On the rare occasion when I  can motivate myself to start the task of sorting out I often just end up moving things from one room to another. 

    I keep things as I think they might be useful or needed in the future. Even something like an empty Amazon cardboard box I keep, as it might be useful for packing if I move in the future. 

    In most cases it isn't a sentimental attachment I have to the object. I think the reason behind my attachment is often financial. I consider what the item cost me and do not want to waste that money by getting rid of it. Alternatively I might need it in the future and what I might have to pay to replace it if I got rid of it.

    I can't resist a bargain and if I find something going very cheap, a glitch or a misprice I will buy many more than I need of the item. Enough to last me many years or many lifetimes in some cases. I then have the problem of trying to store all of those items for however many years it takes until I am ready to use them.

    I am fearful of making the wrong decision, getting rid of something and regretting it in the future. A simple decision over one object can be so difficult. Multiply those decisions by the hundreds or thousands of items I need to sort through and the task soon becomes so overwhelming that I completely abandon it.

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