The autistic urge to collect + how I combat overwhelm

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✶ resources
www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-...
/ digitalminimalism
/ 16902.walden
/ digital-minimalism
www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
✶ links
www.ashricketts.com/links
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AshRicke...

[@Crowley1793]

I do something that I call an appreciation walk where I walk around and say what I like about each of my possessions. This has multiple purposes, for one it makes me happy because I'm looking at and thinking about the things that make me happy. It also helps me to know what to get rid of. If it doesn't bring me joy I donate it or give it away. It really helps me to not have too much stuff and to cherish what I keep.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

This is such a lovely idea, thank you for sharing!

[@carlaeskelsen]

Wonderful idea! Thank you!! 🙏🏼

[@NormyTres]

That is so much more joyful than looking for things to get rid of! 😊

[@BliffleSplick]

This sounds akin to a thing they do in coding called "Rubber ducking". Stepping through each part explaining it in layman's terms (no assumed knowledge)

[@michellebrown4]

*stares in 1.5k bookmarks, god knows how many insta bookmarks, 1k pictures in my phone, 3k pictures on my computer, maybe8k on a hard-drive.* 👀 im an awful digital hoarder. Thanks for the video.

[@chesneymigl4538]

Urge to collect. Yup, perfectly sums it up. I collect because of extreme FOMO. The idea that as soon as you get rid of something is when you'll need it.

[@tulip811]

I collect so humans in 500 years will find it and study whatever I left behind 😭 as a kind of preservation

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

Horses have been my lifelong special interest (with others coming and going) and as an older child and teen a lot of my interaction with that was through collecting model horses. When I got to around 150 I was soooo overwhelmed by the visual clutter but loved them all. I ended up adopting a rotation method for my collection to help limit overwhelm. I split my collection into 12 monthly boxes of 10-15 models and I’d rotate what was displayed monthly. The 12 neatly labeled boxes lived in the storage room where I didn’t have to look at the “clutter” daily and the shelf with the monthly selection was always fresh and let me have a less overwhelming part of my collection on display, still have my full collection, and not be stressed about the visual clutter. It also helped limit how much more I wanted to add to my collection because I could get that “new stuff” dopamine high with the monthly unpacking rather than adding stuff. I also had a photo album with pictures of the entire collection with a note as to what box each was in. So if I wanted to quickly flip through the whole collection or find a particular item I could. So if you like collectibles, you might consider something similar. Of course assuming you have storage space available for that.

[@notleavingmyroom]

I realized that due to feeling overwhelmed by physical, digital and mental stuff/notes, I was not getting anything done, like I would spend days doing the bare minimum (or less). But using a whiteboard on my fridge, I would write around 3-5 things I need to do when I have the energy. Worked so well, that I have started slowly decluttering my physical stuff and now I’m cooking more. It also helped me keep my place cleaner. And most of those actions were never written in the whiteboard 😮 However, focus on the “when I have energy”, cause at the beginning I was forcing myself to finish the list and that backfired horribly 🤦🏻🤣

[@ashrickettsstudio]

I also find it’s really important to meet yourself where you are, and be proud of what you DO do

[@nsavar5864]

@notleavingmyroom Thank you for sharing. That's great you have a To-Do list and fantastic that you do things when you have the energy. I have To-Do lists and I love checking things off. Something I started to do that helps me to remember my accomplishments is to keep a Done list. I record anything I do so when I look back, I can feel good about my accomplishment, no matter how small. IDK. Maybe this is collecting too and would be overwhelming? All the best to you.

[@Jandrix_bb]

I feel so seen with this video. My overwhelming collections are clothes and jewelry. Especially because clothing gets categorized as functional in my headspace, so I will tend to buy multiples of an item I really like "just in case" something happens to it or if it gets discontinued. I also like using the clothing items as a way to fantasize about a person who I could be wearing the item. It's taken some time in therapy to untangle that escapism and make choices to keep items that serve, as my therapist says: "the current, present version of me. Not a past version of myself that I have grown away from, nor a future version of myself who I might become." Jewelry is hard to declutter because I love all of my jewelry and in collecting each item I have tied a mental affirmation to accompany each piece. This helps me start my day by choosing my intent and affirmation in the same way I choose my daily wear. Initially this was life changing, but after a few years I ended up collecting boxes on boxes of jewelry that I never used because finding the item I wanted was overwhelming and triggered decision paralysis. Thanks to my therapist we found a way to honor and let go of the items by gifting much of them to close friends and family. The value and joy I found in being able to share something I'm passionate about with others was equal to the value and joy it initially brought me. Plus, I also get to "visit" these items when I visit my friends, which my therapist says is great because I'm reinforcing what is really important by tying these objects back to people. Unfortunately, this only works with stuff that people actually want as a gift. I have tried this with housewares and other objects and gifting a friend something and seeing it end up in a goodwill pile or being sold can feel very emotionally invested and like a betrayal. I've had to manage my expectation around these gifts by not attaching strings to any gifts when giving, but also giving myself permission to impart the meaning I hold for the item when I gift it to let them decide how to cherish and keep it..

[@user-wj2zv1vd8y]

"Personifying objects" So that's what I do. Hmmmm.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

If only it were only objects. I have a real problem at times doing away with NPCs in games because they're too person-like for me.

[@Homodemon]

I'm the type to collect stuff but I barely touch them. I love love love plushtoys, and I think they're my biggest collection so far but I dont really touch them a lot, only when I'm cleaning them and reorganizing them or when i need something to support my head on bed. Is almost like a respect thing, I don't like to be touched so i have the same trait with my possessions, I might not demonstrate they're special to me but they are just because they're there, it's the same with people... I got a specific plush toy i hold when im feeling bad, but that one is the only one. To stop myself from spending so much money on buying new ones, larn is way cheaper so lately I got into crochet and I learned how to make my own plushtoys, so my collection keeps growing and i don't spend as much money on them as i used to. Also is fun to experiment on what makes plushtoys look so appealing and cute and "safe"

[@samamsterdam4301]

My Collection is very eclectic. I love treasure hunting at estate sales and yard sales. Then I get to bring it home and display it. My Mom wanted to get rid of a chair but we've had it for so long it's part of the family. I was afraid it was going to be scared sitting on the curb until it goes to a new home. I didn't let her get rid of it.

[@Jablicek]

My first real collection started when I was about 30, weirdly. It was music from the original Napster, and services that followed after. It was really unusual at the time to have gb of music stored. Now, I collect places and fridge magnets. The travel is expensive, and I do get to see some interesting and odd places, and the fridge magnets are small - but they do get cluttery. I have to come up with some sort of storage/display for them that isn't just the fridge/whiteboard/overflow whiteboard. I understand that an essay like this is you kind of having a thought and writing your script is your way of consolidating that, and putting useful ideas out in the world - for me it feels like what's discussed here isn't the entirety of your thoughts but more a point for the listener to begin their own journey.

[@katiecrozier3179]

I love watching content like this. Adults talking about things my children struggle with. I dont dare try to diagnose my young children, but to listen to you after you have had life experience to move through these experiences gives me a perspective i could never have without listening to people different than myself.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

I love this comment so much. I feel so passionately about autistic adults sharing our lived experiences, it demystifies the condition, and shows young people that they can thrive and live a happy life despite the difficulties 💞

[@bizyinatizzy9259]

Oh this is so relatable it’s comforting! I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed (as I often do) with my information and collections. I always feel this rabid need to collect more bits of information even when I know my time would be better spend organizing it and taking more time on each bit. How I’ve been describing this is like I’m grabbing shooting stars from the sky and dropping them on the ground as I reach for new ones, the discarded tails trailing behind to form a shag carpet of overwhelm. I put my rocks in a new nice box while I listened to your video. I think I will take them out and put them back in a few more times :)

[@anna-fleurfarnsworth104]

The algorithm fucking nailed this, i have 28k chrome bookmarks, super unwieldy google photos, and tabs numbering in the thousands. I feel like this was a skill that should have been taught but damn. Thanks for making this.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

I'm so glad this video reached you! I hope you got something good out of it :)

[@NormyTres]

Algorithm found me too, and I subscribed within the first few sentences.

[@yadwig]

It may sound like a joke, but now I understand why I cant throw away package from gum. I have a stack of empty carton packages at my work desk and can't just get rid of them. I want them just to stay there.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

No it’s completely understandable! I don’t know if this is helpful, but maybe look into junk journaling? It’s basically a scrapbook journal where you put scrap wrappers, papers, packaging, anything like that! It’s a good way to keep that kind of thing but feel like it has a purpose if that makes sense :)

[@yadwig]

@@ashrickettsstudio omg, that really sounds like a nice idea! I might start a small journal, where I can put dates and places of purchase also.

[@howdidiget]

I finally began thinning down my book collection. I sold/gave away seven books in one day. The next day I couldn't do anything. One thing a day sounds more manageable as a starting point.

[@hermionebenson8366]

This is such a great video. I feel so conflicted sometimes between feeling overwhelmed by my space/surroundings and wanting trinkets and special things, especially things pertaining to my interests (and as an audhd-er I have MANY interests and sometimes they're quite fleeting/change which I feel adds too the overwhelm??). I find when I'm feeling extra overwhelmed by life in general, tired, sad, stressed, etc., I feel far more overwhelmed by the physical clutter in my life. I find the digital stuff overwhelming too. I am forever trying to declutter and get to a space where I can balance having things around me that make me happy and bring me joy, but not feel overwhelmed by them. It's REALLY difficult and I don't ever feel like anyone ever gets it so this video really spoke to me. Thank you. :)

[@ashrickettsstudio]

ooh yeah, I also find when I'm struggling emotionally the physical clutter suddenly feels "louder", I know exactly what you mean. Thank you for watching, I'm glad so many people can relate and we can bond over this shared experience :')

[@VermisTerrae]

Man, my biggest urge is to make stuff, but then I have too much stuff that I can't use or don't have space for. Like I had a long-lasting hyperfixation on making dolls, and I have 2 that are partially finished and 2 that I have finished and I really like them, but like...I can't DO anything with them beyond enjoying that I made them. I have that issue with 10 million other kinds of crafts too.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

A lot of crafters sell their finished crafts or give them away as gifts to avoid this problem, if you can bear to part with your finished projects, it might be a good idea!

[@c.e.trang1319]

I also collect a wide variety of things, all of them obsessively, but for me it's quite different. I have precious little memory of my past experiences, especially things I did with other people. It's all patchy, disconnected, fragmented, and without any real discernible place in time. As I grow older memories of my past interactions fade. What seems to remain are things I've done alone, because those are much more meaningful to me. But these objects I collect are not simply ever-increasing legions of oddities, but rather, they are literally my memories. So many of them, perhaps the lion's share, are inextricably connected to a memory - a time, a place, a moment, a sensation - and if I get rid of them, I've lost the memory prompt, and therefore, the memory itself. I will adamantly refuse to throw away something that belonged to my mother and father, because it will result, eventually, in losing them altogether. Often, even under perfectly normal circumstances, I can't be certain if it's an actual remembrance of things past, or a snippet of dream. I fear, that if I downsize, it could result in a total loss of self.

[@jessicamacdonald1556]

I’m overwhelmed by the amount of content in this video 😵‍💫. I would love full videos on each of these tips and points. Help!

[@LacrimalShot]

The 7PM New Leaf song sent me into attention overdrive as soon as it kicked in. I'm gently tickling at my 40s and the journey I've had with collecting and my relationship with the things "I own" has definitely been a humbling one, especially when it comes down to cleaning and tidying everything up...every day, because there are not enough hours in the day and no mental fortitude that could make it be sustainable, thus, the overwhelm; a life of it. I've definitely come to know myself a whole lot better by going through objects with a discerning eye, and it's opened many intimate doors into the lives of those I love, by showing genuine curiosity and interest over the literal things that truly matter to them. Thank you so much for sharing, and for you!

[@ashrickettsstudio]

This commented reminded me of something I heard once, "if you don't spend time clearing it out, you'll spend your life cleaning it up," and gosh when you think of it like that no wonder it's so exhausting to live like this! Thank you for sharing your experience, this comment is so thoughtfully written, I'm glad you've grown such a good understanding of yourself and others through your items :)

[@thepostgradyear]

wait there's no k next to your subscriber count? one tip for overwhelm is standardizing laundry haha: pick a day to do it every week (like Wednesday when no one is there) and then get rid of one item (every time) - probably more like once every 3 times - no more socks with holes lol (probably remove a pair) - the items that are the worst can simply go in a specific pile to go through later and know as the ones to get rid of or donate or sometimes hold onto if it's a tough money month

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Haha I wish! Maybe one day! That’s a great tip, thanks for sharing!!

[@abbyc6306]

i literally took a screenshot of the meme about screenshotting too much stuff 😭 you hit the nail on the head here, this is a great video!!

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Haha, thank you!

[@jibberoverjava]

I loooove that Animal Crossing ”late at night” background sound instead of music. AC & wii sounds are so soothing! Thank you for sharing your perspectives and experiences with us... also very comforting due to the Typical expectations we're under daily. It's good to hear like minded things. I agree with all the things you said. But I am almost 6 decades old and I haven't changed my ways since I was young because it's built into the way I collect. What I mean is I use every single thing I have so there isn't anything that doesn't bring me joy. I only obtain things I need that bring me joy. And then since they look nice I set them up a certain way like in my sewing area my sitting area my sleeping area everything comes to be nearly exactly the same every time I move and every time I've gotten rid of things I somehow managed to replace them with almost identical things and I put them back in the identical places and it never stops for me. But if I keep the things I have I don't spend more or replace them I keep them for literally nearly my whole life. When I've thrown them away I do feel that relief but I also feel distress because I don't have those comforting things in their places and I've learned to just give up and let myself be what I need to be. As I've gotten older I've been able to condense my things into objects that multi-purpose so if it's a scissor that does a few things I make sure it's a pretty one. And when I like to sometimes change my room to suit my needs I have what I call Gypsy furniture which is basically collapsible interchangeable type things but it remains comforting to me that I have the same things and they don't really change. I've gotten all the things that I'm down to fitting into one single room and have a good labeled box organization system as I share an apartment with my son and he's autistic too, he really needs clutter control to prevent overwhelm. It's a bit tight but there is something soothing about that too. It's like when I was a kid and I used to get into the cardboard box or pull the toys out of my toy box and get inside or go under my bed. Not having wide spaces around me makes me feel secure. I'm wondering how many people go through the journey of trying to eliminate some things that are just written in their brain and eventually begin to accept that the rigidity is hardwired into their brain. I wonder if it's something we just begin to accept as we get older or if some people just have a harder wiring. It feels like a rock and a hard placewhen I wish to be lightened by having less things but also feel strung out when I'm not in my created comfort zone. Thank you for the bookmarks piece, you're spot on, if you saw my saved YT playlists, close to 7,000 videos, a dozen phone screens with a hundred add to home screen folders full, text my own contact links... you're right... so many I'm not able to recall them so never use them I'm deleting it all today. Anyway I really appreciate it a lot of the things that you said. No further edits, this is such a great video! 😁

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Wow thank you so much for sharing your experiences, I think you're so right, at a certain point there's definitely a benefit to learning to accept your ways as they are. Thank you for watching and for the lovely comment!

[@Softlywool]

What a goodvideo, genuienly youve hit all points of things ive pondered on recently, being overwhelmed with stuff and having special interests where i wanna indulge in buying plushies and figurines of all kinds but knowing full well its gonna be chaos for me, ive also had minimalism as a constant thing i try my best to make part of my day to day life, i used to be full on minimalist before letting loose a little after someone mentioned a bit of what you were saying, if it genuienly brings you joy you should keep it (also going hand in hand with the kind of materialism where you genuienly appreciate the items in your life, even when they have no other usecase than looking cute or reminding you of something you like). and ontop of that, at some point the overwhelm is also a bit like not seeing the forest for all the trees, you have so many things of stuff you enjoy but its so much you cant distinguish the items from eachother, and once its been cleaned up its suddenly more visible. and as an artist myself, especially with twitter, and other social medias, the overwhelming amount of fantastic and inspiring art ended up making me feel creativly drained, there was no breathingroom, no boredom to make room for my brain to think at all on its own, once again information overload. i might have fun looking up all kinds of information about my special interest, to bizarre degrees, but when i start feeling restless at work because all i can think about is all these things instead of being able to focus at work, which already is hard having autism and ADHD i know its gotten unhealthy, and i need to take a step back to breathe, have some digital minimalism, touch some grass and listen to some birds and be as mindful as i can. Ive learned how to handle that, i know itll happen with every new interest, and ive accepted that, its just a bit harder to learn to balance it all. also yes to keeping the phone super minimalistic and having socials on the ipad instead was a good desicion!! i did that a few months ago and never felt like having it on the phone again sorry that was a lot of text i really love that you have said in this video im happy to see someone bring it up in this specific way 💖

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Thank you so much for such a detailed comment, I’m so so glad that you found some value in my video and could relate to what I was saying! There’s a lot to think about with trying to keep that balance, and I think in a lot of ways it’s a lifelong journey. I hope you’re heading towards a good place with it all, and I wish you well :)

[@silentglacierfang]

4:37, very true. I have waaaayyyyy too much digital stuff that I just can't go through since it's just too much. Anything that I'm interested in I end up collecting an overwhelming amount of information about. For instance, on my phone, I have 110k photos with almost 43k of those being screenshots of stuff I found interesting and just needed to hoard for later, mostly things related to language and a smaller amount of characters/people that I think look cool. Too many to go through. I also have waaayyy too many bookmarks relating to language and whatev random things piqued my interest at different times. If I were to condense all the information that I have collected, I probably would be able to make medium-sized dictionaries / grammar books of (mostly) European/Near-east languages as those languages and how they relate to and have interacted with each other is my longest-lasting and deepest (idk what word would work better) interest.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

If you don't already, keeping a commonplace book might be a good idea for you! It sounds like you could fill dozens of them, which I imagine would be crazy satisfying

[@Some_Joker]

I just started collecting comic books. It's exciting for me because I was homeless and lost everything because of my narcissistic mother and sister ripping me off. It feels good to have something of my own again. It makes me feel like I'm a happy kid again.😌

[@sincerelyme-777]

So true. I’m an artist, chef and event planner. Our company provides custom decor, menus and artistically styled food service in most every style. Oh my gosh I can’t stop with collecting all of the linen, silver, metals, wood, glassware, floral accessories serving trays, utensils and any other thing to enhance what we do but it’s obsessive. Warehouses full of stuff. It’s thrilling to always be in design mode but it is an overwhelming amount to keep up with and I’m not very organized bc I can think of so many different ways to use things and there are so many styles until I don’t know which categories to put the parts in bc there is cross over. I’ve just ordered a label maker, finally, lol! I even tried putting things in stackable black bags and taped cards on the bags with the contents but then had too much anxiety bc I couldn’t see what was in those- so back to clear vessels and clear bags. Too much- thanks for sharing. This is encouraging information.

[@Crowley1793]

Overwhelm is a big struggle for me as a teenager because I live with my parents. My room is very clean but the rest of the house is a bit more cluttered so it's hard to exist in my house. I did delete all social media from my phone though which is really helpful. I'm only allowing myself to watch KZbin on my computer because I've found that it's better for me.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Ahh being a teenager can be so difficult, not having that complete autonomy over your space can be hard :( But it sounds like you're taking some good steps towards protecting your own peace

[@snaify]

Gosh, this was so great! I've been through this so many times, and nobody was talking about it. Thank you for describing these nuances with such transparency! Also, I've been doing the same thing for the last two years: simplifying my systems! Well said! Looking forward to the art video, and I love your earrings!

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Thank you so much, I’m really glad to be talking about this topic, it’s something I’m really passionate about! Thank you for watching, I hope your systems are working well for you :)

[@keithdavies6771]

My wife is autistic, I'm "neurotypical" I suppose, she started calling me a "normy", say's that's the term for me. I dunno, we're older. She has the same issues with physical items, but never opened one social media account, but The Guardian, and New York Times take a fair bit to get through for her. And then knitting on KZbin. She's an artist, as well, and as a woodworker trying to discard wood scraps to make room, she often comes in to save them for a potential art project, and they end up staying in the way. It's a funny dynamic, I love her for it, and it bothers me like crazy. But yeah, collecting and getting overwhelmed is hard on both of us sometimes. I'm not as sensitive to it as I should be, I forget. So seeing your perspective helps, thanks.

[@cuttleb0nes]

thank you so much for this video!! I’ve been working a lot on decluttering the past few months and overwhelmingly the tips and videos I find are for neurotypicals. I have found very few resources for the “collector” mindset that other ADHD/autistic people also face. over the years whenever I’ve had a hyperfixation pop up I’ve bought merchandise from it to have some sort of “proof” of it. along with that my ever-present special interest of star wars, specifically ahsoka tano, has been kicking my ass with the sheer *amount* I’ve been collecting. ahsoka has turned into a mainstream character and in my attempt to collect every single piece of merchandise relating to her to “prove” how much of a fan I am I reached a breaking point where I wasn’t even enjoying it anymore, it felt like something I was forcing myself to do. the past few months I’ve been paring down my collection and forcing myself to consider whether I actually really like a specific item, or if I just bought it because it was ahsoka related. it felt really hard at first, like by getting rid of this stuff I was saying I don’t care anymore/it’s not important. I’ve had to remind myself that that’s not true- the amount of things you own relating to a specific topic doesn’t “prove” how much you care about that topic, that is a manufactured capitalist/consumerist idea. sorry this is very rambly and disjointed, I just finally feel so seen in this journey

[@cuttleb0nes]

it also wasn’t just the amount of space stuff was taking up, or the energy needed to keep on top of every new piece of merchandise that was released- a huge part of it was how much it was obliterating my finances. I was letting the urge to collect completely destroy my life and my prospects of a future I wanted to live by having the urge to collect become a core part of my identity and financially prioritizing it above all else. it was very toxic. I’ve been examining a lot how much I tied my collecting to my self worth and working very carefully to untangle the two, and only collect very mindfully and purposefully going forward

[@Noodlesoup1819]

I found your channel through your last video and it's been such a delight to go through and watch your videos! Saving things for later really is such an overwhelming thing. I'm trying to sort through all the "to commonplace" things I've saved over the last couple months while I'm watching this and its a lot. It's really nice to know I'm not the only autistic to struggle with the urge to collect all the things (physical or digital) and then have no clue what to do with everything. Also this is completely off topic, but I really love your more chatty videos!! your voice is super soothing to listen to in the background

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you manage to sort through everything alright, you’re definitely not alone with it. I’m so glad you like the chatty videos, I think I’ll be doing more of them going forward! :)

[@stolenzephyr]

Some of my bookmarks are about the joy of creating a bookmark. Similarly to sharing it with a friend. I recognize that except for a few, most of my bookmarks/favorites are just an expression of happiness. Just like taking a picture of my cat is an expression of my happiness at how cute she is. Maybe this will help someone with their overwhelm. You don't need to do anything with the bookmarks unless you want to.

[@ashrickettsstudio]

This is a lovely perspective to have! Thank you for sharing your point of view :)

[@stolenzephyr]

@@ashrickettsstudio I appreciated your video a lot! It gave me things to think about. It's been added to my collection of links 😊

[@AntjedePantje]

My goodness, you are me in so many ways! Thanks for talking about this stuff, it's given me some new ideas on how to tackle my overwhelm, as you call it. I was already doing stuff like unsubscribing from mailing lists and using tab groups in my browser to sort (and hide) tabs I want to look at at some point, but don't use every day, and only using one calendar is an absolute must or else everything goes to sh*t 😂 Still working on a way to get all my different notes from different apps in one place, but that's a project for a rainy day haha

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Thank you for watching!! I wish you luck with all your decluttering!

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

300 rhinestone tiaras. 26 White sewing machines, pre 1958. The sewing and history of fashion books are uncounted but there’s running linear feet. Gold trimmed cocktail glasses from the sixties. There’s more collections…

[@Fullspectrumly]

Thank you so much ❤ I finally found out the word to describe how I felt today: overwhelmed 😂

[@ashrickettsstudio]

I didn’t realise how many times I said the word overwhelmed until I started editing 😂 sorry all!

[@Fullspectrumly]

@@ashrickettsstudio it is really helpful in a world where I'm still learning that there are words to describe how I feel... Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

[@EsmeTheBassic]

When ACNL 7pm hit at 1:30 I was instantly hit straight in the nostalgia.😅 Coincidentally I was having a bit of a clear out and declutter yesterday because I've been finding my spaces overwhelming. I seem to have a large number of unfinished projects everywhere that dont have a home and that's a struggle. I know I'll forget about something if I'm not looking at it, but then having it there staring at me and adding to clutter stresses me. I'm aiming for for "head empty" but I definitely have not been cultivating my own space to be a sanctuary that helps me achieve that. Also putting apps on a tablet instead of your phone is genius. Deffo gonna try that. The social media brainrot is all too real. So happy that you're making progress with the overwhelm. :)

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Animal crossing soundtracks are just built different I swear. Oh god the unfinished projects are a whole other monster, I still don’t have a way of dealing with them, I can’t believe I didn’t talk about that! It’s such a struggle Thank you friend, it feels good to take control of it finally :)

[@Destiny975_Hollow-Finkelhuben]

stones.... every one of them have the feeling and the memorys and the places and the people kind of "saved" when i found them... but... dont know if i´m authistic... just recognized myself by "accident" the first time in a woman in a youtube video, talking about her late autism diagnose... then i ignored it... then i looked little bit into it... now i´ve already contacted my psychiatrist, told her that we need to talk about diagnosis more serious... aren't not just the stones.... "fighting" my whole life against collecting things (think my mum throw words like hording, in german "Messi" around my head when i was just maybe 5...) but in my 28 years of living i collected quite a bit... am proud of.... the biggest "thing" i think is an idea construct that formed just a year ago or so into a greater narrativ... posting it on yt... is german... looks weird... for now i´ll shut up here... dont know what i should think of all the youtube autism videos that just have started to basically talk about me... my life... i think as long as im remembering... but most likely i got tricked by some selfdiagnosingstupidity... hope my psychiatrist is back from vacation soon...

[@wegotthepower]

Gosh, this really made me feel seen! I’ve been experiencing a lot of overwhelm lately related to all the things you talked about. Everything just feel cluttered & like I don’t know where to start (& if I’m starting, to keep on going even though I won’t be able to get finished in one sitting for example). Do you have any suggestions? Looking forward to your next video & in the meantime, I’ll watch some of your other ones ☺️🙏🏼

[@ashrickettsstudio]

Thanks for the comment and for watching, I'm so glad to hear that you felt seen by my video! In terms of suggestions, I'd recommend taking some time to make a list of all the things / areas that are contributing to the clutter / overwhelm, and then once a day spend at least 10 minutes tackling one of those things. I find it best to keep going on one item until it's completely done before moving on to something else, it gives you the feeling of a win and helps keep that motivation up :) good luck, you can do it!

[@WildflowersCreations]

Thank you, very helpful

[@NeptunesHorses5909]

Excellent piece; you are one of several people who has recommended Kondo to me recently. I have to declutter a stalled renovation to make workspace and install the rest of the new flooring. At 55+ in 1000 sq. ft., the collections have gotten more curated, but there is much to do before I reach the ideal of having book walls and art walls and am able to dance around dusting the surfaces of effective storage.

[@echofoxtrot2.051]

I collect rocks.

[@kathyehrisman1759]

Thanks.

[@kellyschroeder7437]

Many reasons think my propensity to “collect” and have clutter besides my late dx autism. 💞💙👊👊

[@Destiny975_Hollow-Finkelhuben]

the stuff i have has either emotional/memory/feelgood value or is something i created myself or something what i have planed to use to create something... ...and a Violin..... (and 400GB digital stuff...)

[@Destiny975_Hollow-Finkelhuben]

15:47 the meme..... 100%me.... 😆😏🙄😬 🤷‍♀🤔 (anyone wants to read the first i guess 300 conversations i had with bing chat when i first discovered ai? 😳😅 *was quite interesting, could for the first time talk about everything i wanted as long as i wanted and dont get annoyed reactions or other disruption, nothing felt like punches in the face... got answers from some(one)thing, that sounded at first more empathic and humane than any human could ever be... (after some month it got a bit repetitive so i gave up on that and started to write my own story) ...i´m talking to much in yt comments... just like usual.... ) ***screenshotted the meme... 😅

[@Destiny975_Hollow-Finkelhuben]

damn... need to write another comment,,, just had the realization that my now early overviewed youtube channel is the collection that will become the most overwhelming one if i let it clutter to mashed chaos

[@levi_notthejeans]

Not me commonplacing this video 🫡, but dont worry im already doing some of this stuff and plan to continue hahaha

[@c.e.trang1319]

I also collect a wide variety of things, all of them obsessively, but for me it's quite different. I have precious little memory of my past experiences, especially things I did with other people. It's all patchy, disconnected, fragmented, and without any real discernible place in time. As I grow older memories of my past interactions fade. What seems to remain are things I've done alone, because those are much more meaningful to me. But these objects I collect are not simply ever-increasing legions of oddities, but rather, they are literally my memories. So many of them, perhaps the lion's share, are inextricably connected to a memory - a time, a place, a moment, a sensation - and if I get rid of them, I've lost the memory prompt, and therefore, the memory itself. I will adamantly refuse to throw away something that belonged to my mother and father, because it will result, eventually, in losing them altogether. Often, even under perfectly normal circumstances, I can't be certain if it's an actual remembrance of things past, or a snippet of dream. I fear, that if I downsize, it could result in a total loss of self.