Letting go isn’t easy. If you find yourself with a lot of stuff you can’t bear to part with, yet have no idea where to actually store it all, we can help you learn to recognize what is really important and how to move on from the things that are just holding you back.
The first step is to think about what items in your life might be holding you back:
Sentimental Value Objects: If you have something that once belonged to someone else, or holds a special place in your heart, these can be very difficult to let go of. But ask yourself a question: Do you actually ever use the item? If you use the item on a regular basis, then of course it is something worth considering to keep. But if you never use it, chances are it is time to let go of it.
Unjustifiable Emotional Value: Some items don’t have much physical use in your life, but they have an emotional value. Pride and Desire can sometimes affect our judgement on whether an item is really actually necessary in our lives. If you’ve always wanted for example something luxurious, you might not want to give up that item, even if it really does not add luxury to your life, but makes you feel the same way you would feel as if it did.
Fear of Without: Many people are afraid to get rid of items, because they worry what will happen if they don’t have it anymore. For example, maybe you have a kitchen gadget you never use, and is always just sitting there in your pantry closet taking up space. You don’t use it, but you’re afraid that some day you might need it, and you won’t have it. Maybe you are afraid that the item cannot be replaced with anything else.
Lack of Fulfillment: Some people own a lot of stuff because their lives are missing something, so they keep buying more things and adding more things to their collection. For example, maybe you have a well paying job, but it doesn’t make you happy. You might instead find yourself buying more clothes and fashion accessories than you can actually wear because it makes you feel happy when you buy things.
If these things are holding you back, here are some tips for letting go:
1. Separate Emotion From Material Objects: Some people will have a very difficult time in doing this, but it’s an important step to take. At some point, you need to accept that all objects in your life are nothing but objects. They do not have feelings, they do not contribute meaning in your life.
2. Seek Fulfillment in Other Ways: If you are accumulating things because you are missing something in your life, find an alternative. Maybe you need more friends or human interaction for example – instead of going shopping, join a book club or find others that share a common hobby with you.
3. Imagine the worst case scenario: Imagine everything you own is destroyed by a natural disaster one day. It no longer exists. Does the world end? Of course not. Learn to appreciate the positive things in your life, and the things that do not take up space. Your health, your family, your friends, your unique experiences – these are things that have meaning in life.
4. Memory Keep Creatively: You can do a number of things to keep memories preserved, but will make it easier to let go. For example, you could take photographs of something or you could transform clutter into art or preserve it in a scrapbook instead.
You don’t have to be tied down to your belongings. Don’t let your material possessions own you. By letting go, you will find it makes for all the difference in your life.