Sentimental Clutter
4 Keys to Sort Through Sentimental Clutter
One of my recent clients, Melissa in Springville, is a sentimentalist. She was attached to her sentimental clutter. She was a terrific mother of 4 and loved every outfit her children had worn through the years. She also had many toys that were no longer used but had been kept for sentimental reasons. After I shared and reinforced the tips below, she has been able to understand that living in an orderly home brought much greater joy to her and her family than did the “stuff” they had retained from the past. She learned that sentimental clutter is like heavy chain links she was carrying around day in and day out. These are my tips to overcome sentimental clutter:
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- Honor the past, but choose to live in the present.
- Set realistic storage limits – numeric or space related.
- Consider space saving alternatives for item display.
- Be cautious about what you buy in the first place.
In Summary:
- Sentimental clutter can be overcome by making behavioral change a process. It takes some real thought and contemplation. Once decided, the change becomes permanent.
- Sentimental clutter is often based in fear of loss. Decide if the items you are holding on to are serving you in your current life. If they are, display them in a way that honors the memory.
As owner and trained professional organizer at ORGANIZING Mind over Matter, I have loads of experience and may be able to help you clarify your wants and set up systems to meet your goals.
On her own, Melissa had tried unsuccessfully to move beyond the sentimental clutter surrounding her. For her, success came in stopping the rationalizations that had become a part of her “inner talk”. She needed to answer to someone else and I was the someone else she needed. I was trained to help her rethink her wants and move forward in keeping only the items that she valued most.
Because you found this useful, here are a few other articles I have written that may also catch your attention:
If YOU have tried to overcome sentimental clutter and struggle with setting up lasting processes and organizing systems to support your best life, call Vicki now at the number shown above.
5 Responses to “Sentimental Clutter”
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September 9th, 2013 at 8:36 pm
I am a real sentimentalist. Great idea to set realistic limits. I will give it a try.
April 7th, 2014 at 1:23 pm
The before and after photos you have listed in the live link on this page were very motivating to my wife who is a sentimental collector. We are going to give downsizing another try. Thank you for the motivation.
May 6th, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Honoring the past BUT living in the present is very hard for my wife. If I can get her to pick a favorite memento for each individual family member to keep and display, it has been easier for her. Your tips are right on.
May 10th, 2016 at 12:51 am
I wanted you to know that I so appreciate the four ways you listed here to move beyond the sentiment and into logical storage. Thank you!!!
July 8th, 2016 at 8:02 am
I am not a sentimentalist but one of my children sure is. Thanks for the information here. It has given me new insights.