Preserving precious memories, anxiety around possibly needing something again down the line, and finding the time to process everything are all valid reasons for feeling nervous about letting go of sentimental items.
In order to let go of your material attachments, you have to learn how to be happy with what you already have. Instead of worrying about the future or reminiscing on the past, focus on living in the present moment. If you're hungry, eat. If you need to go somewhere, go.
For some people, clutter can also serve as a way to distract from emotional pain or trauma. Additionally, some people hold onto clutter because they feel guilty about getting rid of something they've spent money on, or they hold onto things "just in case" they might need in the future.
At its core as an economic principle, it's all about identifying the best assets of something and using them efficiently to reap the maximum benefit. When applied to our homes, the 80/20 rule suggests that we roughly use 20% of what we own around 80% of the time.
Simply put, materialism is the importance one places on material possessions. These possessions could be anything, such as clothes, shoes, handbags, cars, electronic equipment, and gadgets. One's home also counts as a material possession, even though everyone needs a place to live.
“It's stressful to be in a cluttered environment,” says Woody. According to Psychology Today, clutter causes stress in part because of its excessive visual stimuli. It also signals to our brains that our work is never done and creates guilt, anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed.
The increase in sentimental thoughts may be through the use of objects to recall and reminisce about pleasant memories [11••]. The process of using objects to recall pleasant memories may be part of a self-reinforcing cycle that leads to further increased levels of attachment to objects.
The formation of intense emotional attachments to objects, difficulty parting with possessions, and the extreme accumulation of clutter are key features of Hoarding Disorder (HD).
We hold onto things that aren't good for us because at one time they were helpful to us, gave us pleasure, eased our pain, provided us comfort, or served as a distraction from something else that created suffering in our lives.
Preserving precious memories, anxiety around possibly needing something again down the line, and finding the time to process everything are all valid reasons for feeling nervous about letting go of sentimental items.
Some people struggle to let go of painful memories or relationships or to move on from past experiences because they believe that whatever has happened to them is part of their identity. But ruminating on the past won't change it and holding onto pain won't help relieve that pain.
Those with insecure attachment styles, on the other hand, may tend to become needy or clingy in their closest relationships, behave in selfish or manipulative ways when feeling vulnerable, or simply shy away from intimacy altogether.
Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a condition where a child doesn't form healthy emotional bonds with their caretakers (parental figures), often because of emotional neglect or abuse at an early age. Children with RAD have trouble managing their emotions.
Excessive clutter and disorganization are often symptoms of a bigger health problem. People who have suffered an emotional trauma or a brain injury often find housecleaning an insurmountable task.
“Cluttering is another behavior typical in folks with ADHD. Leaving items out as visual cues is a common way of compensating for an unreliable memory or inadequate time-management system, but to the untrained eye it can resemble hoarding,” she says.
If you or a loved one has ADHD, managing things and stuff can be overwhelming. Cindy Glovinsky, psychologist and author, explains that clutter is caused by impulsive actions that don't do a good job of compensating for a better solution.
The Narcissist also feeds on power and control, as these fuel their grandiosity and sense of omnipotence in order to mask their fundamental core experience of being bad or defective. They take material riches as a sign of their value and worth. Narcissism takes many forms. All of us have some form of it.
The basic premise of the six-month rule is that you should dispose of any item that you haven't used for over six months or ask yourself whether you will use the item in the next six months. This is particularly important to consider when decluttering the kitchen space, as items often go unused there.