Why It’s So Hard to Let Go of our Stuff
These days it seems like many people are on board with the idea of decluttering, owning less, and living more intentionally. It all makes great sense! By decluttering and choosing what items we need and love, our lives become easier to manage and we feel calmer and less overwhelmed. The added benefits of saving money (no more replacements) and time (no more wasting time looking for things) also becomes clear once we have less.
So, What Gets in Our Way? What Reasons do we Give Ourselves that Hinder Our Progress?
One way to think about it is to reflect on why we own things in the first place. Historically, objects were tools that were required for day-to-day survival – you needed an axe to chop wood, a knife to cut up meat, and shovels to dig holes. However, as society progressed, the world became more plentiful, and objects started to play a different role. They helped us do what we needed to do AND helped us confirm our worth in society.
Owning certain objects became a way to communicate. If you had a radio, you were the connection for others and had the power to disseminate information quickly…so better get a radio fast. This evolved to include many more objects, as there is no limit to what we can buy. Today, we see how quickly and easily Amazon and others can fulfill our desire to own something. As this happens, we move from being in charge of our objects to letting them be in charge of us.
So, Why is it So Challenging to Limit how Many Objects We Have, and Let Go of the Ones We Don’t Need?
In his book, Goodbye Things, Fumio Sasaki talks about the many challenges that arise when we try to discard, declutter, and downsize. He talks about the need to develop this skill, over time, so that it becomes a habit. As with other skills, you don’t just wake up and decide to become a world-class skydiver, a master chef, or fluent in Finnish. It takes time. You don’t just wake up and decide to have less stuff; you have to build the skill. Often, in trying to build this skill, we get stuck and can’t complete the task.
Ten Reasons We Get Stuck and Can’t Discard, Declutter, and Downsize Effectively:
- It was expensive
- What if I need it in the future?
- I feel guilty throwing it away
- I feel ashamed that it hasn’t been used
- One day it will fit/work/match
- I feel like I am throwing away an important memory
- My pride is preventing me from letting it go
- I feel bad for the person who gave it to me
- It’s not the right day/time/hour/season
- It’s just easier to leave it as is
If any of these reasons resonate with you, you aren’t alone. They are all very convincing. They can seem like truly sensible reasons to hang on to belongings we no longer need, use, or even want. However, letting go requires courage, determination and patience – and perhaps some help along the way.
The path of least resistance is common among us humans, it keeps us safe and in service of the status quo.
Ultimately, if we can shift our thinking, imagine the feeling upon completion, and take action, we can absolutely create more time, space, money, energy and freedom in our lives.
Either alone or with professional organizing support from Simply Home Downsizing, there is a way to have less to live more.
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Whether you need to organize your own space, help a loved one move into a smaller home, or manage an estate clearing, our team of experienced professionals will guide you carefully and comfortably to your desired result. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
~ The Simply Home Downsizing Team
