Information Hoarding Explained: Why Unopened Letters, Emails and Paperwork Build Up — and How to Break the Freeze Response | Tembo Cleaning Services | Biohazard & Hoarding Support in Hampshire

Lizzie Horner
4 days ago
3 min read

Hidden Layer 1: Information Hoarding — The Hoarding Behaviour Nobody Sees

When people think of hoarding, they usually picture physical clutter: piles of belongings, rooms filled with objects, or pathways reduced to narrow walkways. But one of the heaviest and most overwhelming forms of hoarding is often completely invisible:

Information hoarding.

This includes:

Unopened letters
Stacks of paperwork
Emails left unread
Overloaded inboxes
Screenshots, tabs, notes and lists “to deal with later”
Forms, bills and official documents too overwhelming to face

For many people living with hoarding disorder or chronic disorganisation, information hoarding is a silent and exhausting layer that rarely gets talked about — yet affects daily life profoundly.

My Lived Experience With Information Hoarding

For me, the freeze starts before I even touch the envelope. A letter arrives, and my body reacts instantly: “I can’t deal with this.”

Across all five of my inboxes — including two work ones — I currently have 21,142 unopened emails. People often gasp when I say that, but every time I share it, at least one person quietly says, “Thank you… I thought it was just me.”

Being dyslexic adds another layer. Processing written information can be draining, especially when it feels complicated, urgent or emotionally loaded. Letters get avoided, piles build up, and the longer they sit there, the scarier they feel.

Because what if the envelope contains:

a bill I can’t afford?
something official I don’t understand?
a form I don’t have the energy to complete?
another responsibility added to an already full load?

Once avoidance sets in, shame quickly follows. Many people believe they “should be able to manage” paperwork because others appear to cope easily. But this is a misunderstanding of how fear, executive function challenges, and trauma responses work.

You are not alone. This is incredibly common.

Why Information Hoarding Happens

It has nothing to do with laziness.

Information hoarding is linked to:

Fear of bad news
Overwhelm or burnout
Dyslexia or processing difficulties
Executive dysfunction
Trauma responses
Avoidance as a survival strategy
An already overloaded mental load

When the nervous system perceives something as threatening or draining, it moves into freeze mode. This is a protective response, not a personal failure.

What Information Hoarding Looks Like

It might include:

Piles of unopened letters hidden in drawers or bags
Hundreds or thousands of unread emails
Avoiding the letterbox
Difficulty completing forms
Keeping paperwork “just in case”
Feeling sick when post arrives
Important documents lost in piles

This can lead to missed appointments, financial consequences, safety issues and emotional distress — all of which reinforce the cycle.

Small, Gentle Steps That Help

Here are the steps that genuinely help me, and which I use in hoarding support work:

1. Remove junk mail immediately

Circulars, adverts and supermarket leaflets go straight to recycling. Reducing quantity reduces fear.

2. Focus on reducing volume, not finishing everything

A smaller pile is psychologically easier to face.

3. Choose a regular time of day to open mail

Predictability reduces dread. Setting reminders helps create a routine.

4. Pair paperwork with comfort

A warm drink, soft music, a calm environment. Regulate first, act second.

5. Allow “one letter only”

You don’t need to tackle the whole pile. One letter is progress. One email opened is progress.

A Gentle Truth

Information hoarding is one of the most private forms of hoarding — and one of the most misunderstood. If you freeze at the sight of an envelope or feel overwhelmed by unread emails, you are not failing. You are overwhelmed, and your nervous system is trying to protect you.

Small steps create big shifts. One letter, one email, one moment of courage at a time.

Compassionate Hoarding and Biohazard Support in Hampshire

At Tembo Cleaning Services Ltd, we specialise in:

Hoarding disorder support
Biohazard cleaning
Trauma-informed decluttering
Chronic disorganisation support
Non-judgemental, person-centred help

If this resonates with you, you are welcome to reach out. Support is available, and it begins gently.

Work with Tembo Cleaning Services: https://clienthub.getjobber.com/client_hubs/fb2610e6-5eb5-481a-85a6-e7a3f04af54a/public/work_request/