<ul>
<li>Come to a Dehoarding Accountability Zoom Session: <a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/ticket'>http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/ticket</a></li>
<li>Subscribe to the podcast: <a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/subscribe'>https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/subscribe</a></li>
<li>Podcast show notes, links and transcript: <a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/'>http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/</a> </li>
</ul>
In this episode, I unpack the myth of laziness and why it’s such a damaging label for people with hoarding disorder.
I’ll break down how blaming ourselves or others for being “lazy” ignores the real barriers - like overwhelm, poor mental health, executive dysfunction and more - and just piles on more shame.
Let’s get honest about what’s actually holding us back and why reframing this idea matters.
<ul>
<li>The Myth of Laziness in Relation to Hoarding</li>
<li>Revisiting a previous episode’s question: Are hoarders lazy?</li>
<li>Arguments against the idea (hoarded homes require more energy to live in, etc.)</li>
<li>The aversion to external intervention reveals deeper issues than laziness</li>
<li>Societal attitudes towards rest and productivity</li>
<li>Internalised and external accusations of laziness</li>
<li>The damaging effects: shame, isolation, distress</li>
<li>Understanding Hoarding as a Mental Health Issue</li>
<li>Hoarding as a coping method for difficult emotions</li>
<li>Judgments of laziness overlook the disorder’s complexity and nuance</li>
<li>Such labels add barriers to seeking help and reinforce stigma</li>
<li>Consequences of Labelling People who Hoard (or Ourselves) as Lazy</li>
<li>Shame and self-criticism deepen the problem</li>
<li>Laziness as a simplistic explanation that ignores underlying issues</li>
<li>Possible root causes: executive dysfunction, decision-making difficulties, emotional attachment to items, avoidance, depression, physical disability, etc.</li>
<li>The Harmful Cultural Narrative Around Laziness</li>
<li>Societal pressures to be constantly productive</li>
<li>Inaccuracies of the “we all have the same 24 hours” myth</li>
<li>Differences in time and capability due to systemic inequalities</li>
<li>Examples: physical ability, mental health, neurodivergence, responsibilities, discrimination</li>
<li>Moral and Social Implications of the “Lazy” Label</li>
<li>Care tasks are morally neutral (reference to KC Davis, episode 82)</li>
<li>The negative cycle: shame leads to paralysis, makes it harder to seek help and make progress</li>
<li>Laziness label used as a justification for lack of societal support</li>
<li>Political and social consequences for marginalised groups</li>
<li>Importance of community, support, and helping each other</li>
<li>The Danger of Linking Self-Worth to Productivity</li>
<li>The toxic culture of non-stop productivity and hustling</li>
<li>Problems with feeling guilty for resting</li>
<li>The spiral of self-worth being tied to continuous output</li>
<li>The Limiting Nature of the Laziness Concept</li>
<li>It shuts down further exploration of underlying problems</li>
<li>Missed opportunities for self-compassion, empathy, and effective assistance</li>
<li>Underlying Reasons for Struggles That Are Mistaken for Laziness</li>
<li>Lack of motivation: exhaustion, depression, overwhelm</li>
<li>Overwhelm due to the scale of the task</li>
<li>Executive dysfunction (planning, initiating, processing tasks)</li>
<li>Fear (of the process, of making wrong decisions, of consequences)</li>
<li>Fatigue, burnout, and mental health struggles</li>
<li>Being practically or emotionally stuck, lacking skills or knowledge</li>
<li>Societal Structures and Individual Blame</li>
<li>Blame placed on individuals ignores wider systemic and commercial influences</li>
<li>Industries profit from reinforcing personal inadequacy (beauty industry analogy, storage solutions)</li>
<li>The cycle of self-blame, shame, and attempts to “fix” via consumerism</li>
<li>Breaking the Cycle and Moving Forward</li>
<li>Recognising the myth of laziness enables real progress</li>
<li>Compassion, curiosity, and support as healthier responses</li>
<li>Encouragement for self-acceptance and seeking genuine solutions</li>
</ul>
Buy your copy of Everything You Need to Know About Hoarding by Dr Lynne Drummond at <a href='http://www.cambridge.org/EverythingHoarding'>cambridge.org/EverythingHoarding</a>, and get 20% off with the discount code HOARDING20. #ad
Links
<ul>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-57-are-hoarders-lazy/'>Podcast ep 57: Are hoarders lazy? I think you’d be surprised…</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-82-dehoarding-when-youre-drowning-with-kc-davis-of-struggle-care/'>Podcast ep 82: Dehoarding when you’re drowning with KC Davis of Struggle Care</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-112-executive-function-executive-dysfunction-and-hoarding-with-dr-jan-eppingstall/'>Podcast ep 112: Executive function, executive dysfunction and hoarding with Dr Jan Eppingstall</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-186-10-executive-dysfunction-tips-and-tricks-to-help-people-who-hoard-whether-we-have-adhd-or-are-neurodivergent-or-not-hoarding-awareness-week-2025/'>Podcast ep 186: 10 executive dysfunction tips and tricks to help people who hoard, whether we have ADHD or are neurodivergent or not – Hoarding Awareness Week 2025</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-183-adhd-executive-dysfunction-and-creating-hacks-and-systems-to-reduce-clutter-chaos-with-carrie-lagerstedt/'>Podcast ep 183: ADHD, executive dysfunction and creating hacks and systems to reduce clutter chaos, with Carrie Lagerstedt</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-162-from-fibble-to-focus-defibble-your-executive-dysfunction-with-jo-cavalot/'>Podcast ep 162: From Fibble to Focus: Defibble your executive dysfunction with Jo Cavalot</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-188-decision-making-hoarding-disorder/'>Podcast ep 188: 12 ways to make decision-making easier (and why people who hoard find it so hard to make decisions in the first place!)</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-139-chronic-disorganisation-with-jo-cooke-of-hoarding-disorders-uk/'>Podcast ep 139: Chronic disorganisation with Jo Cooke of Hoarding Disorders UK</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast-ep-107-things-that-look-like-hoarding-but-arent-adhd-depression-autism-ocd-ocpd-and-more/'>Podcast ep 107: Things that look like hoarding but aren’t: ADHD, depression, autism, OCD, OCPD and more</a></li>
<li><a href='https://mandylehto.com/enough-the-podcast/'>Enough, the Podcast</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Come to a Dehoarding Accountability Zoom session: <a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/ticket'>Accountability Booking Form</a></li>
<li>Website: <a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk'>Overcome Compulsive Hoarding</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/darling'>Become a Dehoarding Darling</a></li>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/topic'>Submit a topic for the podcast to cover</a></li>
<li>Questions to ask when dehoarding: <a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podquestions'>https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podquestions</a></li>
<li>Instagram: <a href='https://www.instagram.com/thathoarderpodcast/'>@thathoarderpodcast</a></li>
<li>Twitter: <a href='http://www.twitter.com/ThatHoarder'>@ThatHoarder</a></li>
<li>Mastodon: <a href='https://mastodon.online/@ThatHoarder'>@ThatHoarder@mastodon.online</a></li>
<li>TikTok: <a href='https://www.tiktok.com/@thathoarderpodcast'>@thathoarderpodcast</a></li>
<li>Facebook: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/Overcome-Compulsive-Hoarding-with-That-Hoarder-104370761703319'>Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder</a></li>
<li>Pinterest: <a href='https://www.pinterest.com/ThatHoarder'>That Hoarder</a></li>
<li>YouTube: <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSxMqB_fGckbGOQZpkl6l9g'>Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder</a></li>
<li>Reddit: <a href='https://www.reddit.com/r/overcomehoarding/'>Overcome Compulsive Hoarding with That Hoarder subreddit</a></li>
<li>Help out: <a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/support'>Support this project</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/podcast/advertise-on-the-overcome-compulsive-hoarding-with-that-hoarder-podcast/'>Sponsor the podcast</a></li>
</ul>
Subscribe to the podcast
<ul>
<li><a href='https://www.overcomecompulsivehoarding.co.uk/subscribe'>Subscribe to the podcast here</a></li>
</ul>

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#193 Laziness is a myth. Here's what's actually going on

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