Sentimental Hoarding, Begone! How to Declutter Your Keepsakes
Remember the Clueless scene where an emotionally bruised Tai burned a towel she had saved from an interaction with Elton in Cher’s fireplace? It’s human nature to disassociate ourselves from anything that conjures up painful or sad memories. Photos are deleted, momentos and clothing are tossed, papers that received bad grades are shredded. The act of detaching from these emotions and finding closure is easier once the physical items are gone, or in Tai’s case, burned.
As easy as it is to get rid of negative associations, it’s also human nature to attach ourselves to anything that brings warm, joyful, and fond memories. Last year my mom handed me a tiny white envelope with outlines of small rectangular shapes showing through. I excitedly opened the envelope, thinking they were family heirlooms being passed down. What poured out instead were all the baby teeth I had lost during my childhood, even my wisdom teeth that were extracted in high school! I was so surprised and equally grossed out that all I could do was laugh. I managed to thank my mom as I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but as soon as she went home, the teeth went straight into the garbage. I literally had no attachment to them. Sorry, mom! Perhaps my mom held onto the teeth because they were a reminder of how small I had once been as a child. Which got me thinking…are the two huge storage bins filled with my kids’ art work, crafts, report cards, and special projects more sentimental to me than they ever will be to my kids? When it comes time for them to take their bins to their own homes, will they sift through the papers only to throw them away? Am I using up precious storage space to hold onto some of their favorite childhood toys for them to glance at once and then donate?
How do we overcome the hurdles that prevent us from letting go of sentimental objects that no longer serve a purpose in our lives? Are treasured keepsakes cluttering up your space, preventing you from enjoying your home? Read along for manageable tips aimed to guide you through decluttering your keepsakes without detaching from the happy memories associated with them:
DON’T RUSH
Pressuring yourself to quickly declutter cherished items will only induce stress, which could cause you to stop before you even have a chance to start. It’s ok to take time to process (within reason!) and reconnect with all the fond memories and emotions associated with an item.
START SMALL
Set small goals instead of tackling a whole room or home in a limited amount of time. Take the first step by sorting through one box or drawer. As you continue to progress through more boxes and collections, decluttering will get easier and go faster.
TALK IT OUT
Have a family member or close friend assist you as you go through your items so you can reminisce, share laughter, sadness, fond memories, and history together. This person can help guide you when making a difficult decision to keep or discard a sentimental item. Having someone beside you will keep you on track and help you view items from a different perspective. Your entrusted supporter will cherish having spent time with you while enjoying the storytelling sessions.
TAKE INVENTORY AND CATEGORIZE YOUR ITEMS
Identify all the sentimental items you have. This can include old letters, photos, memorabilia, collectors items, heirlooms, art, and furniture. Once you have done this, you can tackle one category at a time while taking note of the items that hold the most significant and emotional value.
TAKE PHOTOS
Store pictures of artwork, crafts, report cards, and special projects on a digital storage platform or compiled in a photo book. Not only will you free up space, but you have the ability to visually share these special items with more people than just yourself.
SET SIZE LIMITS
For the collections you keep, minimize the size to one container, one shelf in a cabinet, or one area of the house for bigger objects. When adding a new piece, remove another with less significance.
REPURPOSE AND REIMAGINE
If you’re struggling to part with loved baby clothes, blankets, a collection of ties or sweatshirts, and so forth, there are creative ways to repurpose and reimagine these items. Small business creators can combine your cherished textiles to create memory quilts, teddy bears, pillows, ornaments, and more.
DONATE
Perhaps you’re hanging onto the remaining pieces of a dish set from your first home. Would you buy the same set now? If you were to walk by the set in a store, would you spend money on it? If the answer is no, release your items to someone who will value, appreciate, and put them to good use.
GIFT
Experience the joy of passing down your valuables to family members now. Gifting is not only a symbolic gesture, but is an opportunity to share the same joy you felt while procuring your beloved treasures with others.
After my grandparents passed, my mom and her siblings had the tall order of sorting through their overwhelmingly full house. The basement alone was filled with everything you can imagine - an extensive collection of National Geographic magazines spanning decades, a huge wine collection, tools, art, multiple sewing machines, fishing equipment, and a non-electric treadmill (as grade schoolers, my cousins and I would take turns running on the rubber conveyor belt covering the rotating metal cylinders, sometimes even barefoot. And no, I don’t need to store the treadmill in order to recall this fun memory!). My amazingly diligent uncle compiled a photo catalogue of the valuables, emailed it to the family, and we all earmarked the articles we were interested in keeping for ourselves. The remaining items were donated or hauled away.
My grandparents would be delighted to know that as I typed this, I periodically glanced up at an oil painting that once hung in their living room. Reframed, it now sits on my dining room hutch and floods my heart with loving memories.
Cherie Frazier
There is no need to struggle through this alone. Uncluttered By Design is here to help as much or as little as you need. Contact us today for a free discovery call!