It's easy to let go of things you're tired of or that are no longer useful. But how do you declutter something you still love?
Is that a good idea? Is it even possible if you're a sentimental person holding on to sentimental items?
How to let go of something you still love - watch on Facebook
The answer is yes, of course you can declutter something and still love it.
Reasons You Might Declutter Something You Love
1. To free up much needed physical space
When you're holding onto so many things, even if you love them, you simply may not have the room to enjoy your physical space.
You may be living in your dream home, but you've cluttered it to the brim and it doesn't feel quite so dreamy.
We talk about one situation where a determined declutterer went through a hard decluttering process in order to end up at her ideal house at the end of it all. (She made quite a bit of money in the process turning her clutter into cash, too!).
That final result wouldn't have been as exciting had she filled her place with all the things, right?
2. To gain peace in your life
It's true that many of us intertwine our emotions with belongings. We may keep things from our late family members because it feels like getting rid of them is losing them all over again.
We may keep all our memorabilia and from our high school sports days because we felt proud and happy then. (Hot tip: Turn your high school sports t-shirts into a quilt!)
But keeping it around now? Those sentimental items might actually be causing you more grief and drama to constantly see these reminders of the past. It might simply eat into that mental space.
You might not even realize it!
By letting go of these things that you love, you are actually gaining back peace in your life. And that's pretty powerful.
3. To move on to a new phase of life
Embracing life's changes is a great reason to declutter something you love.
If you've retired and no longer need 20 suits - yes, the ones you had tailored to fit perfectly - it might be time to clear out that space for something that works better in your current lifestyle.
Holding onto old toys so that you might pass them on to future grandkids may be keeping you from having the space for a sewing room that you would use and love dearly now.
4. To bless someone else
Sometimes a belonging has served its purpose.
You could love it and use it frequently over the years, but there may come a time when someone else could find more value in owning it.
Recognizing that fact alleviates a lot of the stress involved in letting these types of items go.
5. To make room emotionally for new things and experiences
Again with the emotions here.
This ties into the point about gaining peace by letting certain items go. If you hang on to things from the past that you love, you could miss out on something new that you could love even more.
6. To make life easier
Decluttering and minimizing our belongings makes life easier. Simple.
The Cost of Keeping Everything You Love
Every item in your home, even the ones you adore, has a cost associated with it.
Do you have to dust it, store it, pay for it, find it, organize it?
Do you like the price you're paying?
More importantly, does that item feel as special as you think it is when every item you keep is special?
If the answer is no, perhaps you'd enjoy your home more if you let that thing go.
How Do You Let Go?
If you're still struggling with letting go, we hear you. Even though it might seem as simple as just throwing out, selling, or donating something, internally a whole list of emotions could be playing out.
There's nothing wrong with saying goodbye to belongings, even if they cost you a lot of money or were a treasured gift from a loved one.
The important thing to remember is that the item did its job. It served you when you needed it, and now that job is done.
You can pull a little inspiration from Marie Kondo's Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and thank that item for its service before decluttering. That way you truly say goodbye with peace instead of guilt/regret/pain/judgment.
For sentimental items, honoring the memories and/or the person can help with the letting go process.
Watch this Facebook live for tips on how to let go of things you love with grace, even when it's hard.
