EP 12: Sentimental Clutter: How to Let It Go for Good
“If everything is special, then nothing is special,” host Corinne Morahan reminds us on this episode of Get Organized for Good. Today, she is tackling the topic of sentimental clutter– items that you are keeping solely for the memory and meaning attached to them and not for any functional purpose. In an effort to keep memories of loved ones and good times alive, we often hold onto everything. This not only dilutes the memory, but acts as a barrier to connection and can create a new source of stress. It’s the hardest type of clutter to get rid of, Corinne explains, citing research from the Yale School of Medicine about the physical effects of parting with sentimental items. Luckily, she’s here to tell us how we can keep our memories alive without keeping our clutter.
She’ll discuss how to determine what stays and what goes, how to handle pressure from family members to keep things you don’t want, and how to determine whether your items, while invaluable to you, are of any value, monetarily. She’ll share how she determined which sentimental items from her children, from her fabulous grandmother and from one memorable grade school field trip were worthy of keeping. She’ll also reveal what those with difficult childhoods tend to hang onto the most, and why this only creates an undue burden on their children.
As always, we are in control of our own process. Whether our items stay or go, our memories live within us, unchanged.
Quotes
- “When we keep every single thing that might have some meaning to us, like any other item in our home it simply becomes clutter. And instead of being able to enjoy it and appreciate it, it stresses us out.” (3:57 | Corinne Morahan)
- “When I start talking about getting rid of sentimental items people immediately freeze up and get stressed out. And I want you to know that you are in control of what you keep and what you get rid of. No one is going to come to your house and tell you what you need to get rid of, but similarly, people also can’t tell you what you have to keep. You are an adult and you are the boss of these decisions, and I have every confidence in you that your heart knows what to keep and what to toss.” (5:58 | Corinne Morahan)
- “If at some point, I decide to throw out this pearl necklace, I will not ever be throwing away the memory. The memory lives in me forever and always, the feelings of that moment. I don’t need to hold this necklace in my hand to know that. I can if I want to, but I have countless other good memories for which I do not have anything tangible, I don’t need anything tangible. The memory lives in me.” (8:30 | Corinne Morahan)
- “It doesn’t mean you are throwing away that person, it doesn’t mean you’re throwing away that moment, it doesn’t mean you’re throwing away that memory. It just means you’re throwing away the tangible item. Or donating it. If someone in your family is making you feel that way, then they can keep the item in their home.” (9:46 | Corine Morahan)
- “If this feels hard, you’re doing it right. This is the hardest part. Sentimental clutter is the hardest thing to part with, but I know you can do it.” (16:20 | Corinne Morahan)
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