journal2.jpg

This might seem obvious to some people, and not everyone will experience this problem. In fact most of my friends have no problems at all 'letting go' of things they don't use. Some of us, though (myself included) find it difficult. For example: until a couple of years ago I had two jewelry boxes, which might be fine, if I owned more than four pieces of jewelry, but I don't. They both sat, empty, through ten years and five moves before I figured out a way to let go.

My jewelry box saga in a nutshell is this: I didn't love the jewelry boxes, I loved what the jewelry boxes represented. My desire to hang on to them had nothing whatsoever to do with pretty accessory storage. It was just one example of my emotional investment in my things. I cried when I took my car to the wreckers. I can't throw out anything with a face, I have to 're-house' it in the garden. I have keep-sake boxes and use words like 'let go of', 'un-own' or 're-house' instead of 'get rid of.' If you can relate, this process might help you attack the 'storage' cupboard.

What You Need

Tools
A camera
A journal or paper
A pen

Instructions

1. Take a photo. It doesn't have to win any awards, it just has to remind you of what the object represents.

2. Write down your memories/feelings. Writing down your memories about an item, like when and why you bought it, who gave it to you and why you feel like you want to hold on to it can help you understand and process your feelings.

3. Store the photo and journals until you are ready to get rid of them. Store the journals and pictures so you can look at them again if and when you want to. At some point you might feel like you don't need to keep them any more, then you can un-own them as well. If you do want to hang on to them they will take up a much smaller physical and emotional space.

(image source: self improvement saga)

You might also like