5 Tips When Decluttering Sentimental Items

Decluttering sentimental items can be challenging…

It seems that one of the hardest impediments on the journey to having only what we need, is the decluttering –specifically– of sentimental items. The realm of nostalgic things can be a slippery and logicless venue that can trip up even the most honed and practiced minimalists. Tackling my own memory box(s) stopped me in my tracks during my first attempt at decluttering almost 10 years ago. And it wasn’t until a few years later that I was able come back and get through the beautiful beast of decluttering sentimental items. I was able to look these things in the eye, and feign fearlessness, long enough to get somewhere with my items.

What is it about the things that we hold onto merely to serve as reminders and as conduits to times past? They possess a power and beauty beyond logic, science, or necessity. We see them with our heart and not with our eyes. And what they hold, and where they can bring us is potent and substantial.

As I prepared for this article, I pulled out and examined the things that I keep for sentimental reasons. They remind me of the girl that I was long ago, and that I am still her. They remind me of the people that I love, and the way that I loved them then. And they remind me of small feelings and experiences that I have forgotten.

And it can be challenging to see that we don’t need to keep all the things. We can misconstrue the idea of losing these things to feel comparable to losing the actual people, the times and places within the memories. It’s usually because we consider each item with the same degree of necessity and importance. Our sentimental items, if we leave them to their own devices, can get left in a fixed state. And through the years we get more afraid of touching or, god forbid, of removing something from this grouping. But we can trust ourselves to go in, to look around, and to detangle the treasures from the clutter.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind when decluttering sentimental items.

1) Maintain your collection of sentimental items and accept new things into it with clarity and thoughtfulness

There is a difference between old items and sentimental ones. But the longer we hold onto something without thought or acknowledgment, the more opportunity we give for it to take on a false or unearned veil of sentimentality. Not everything we have is a treasure. So try to maintain the integrity of your chosen sentimental items. Also, time carries on and at some point it may become just an old report card, or a strange old ornament, or a piece of fabric. And it’s ok to let things go as they change to you. It’s ok to let things go. As well, if you deal with things as they come into your home without waiting, it will be easier to shed the things that do not need a space with your sentimental items.

2) The fewer the items, the higher each one’s potency

Watch your sentimental items glisten as you slowly pull away the rubble and debris around them. When we raise the bar on what we keep. Or when we undilute our things by only keeping the truly special, your items will take on a new level of beauty.

Imagine that you have fourteen photos of someone taken on the same day. They are all perfectly fine pictures, but there are two that are somehow magical. Perhaps choosing to get rid of the twelve that you just kind of have because you have them and just keeping the two might be a good idea. Not only will you be giving the respect deserved to the two, but it will likely be easier to find them when you do go searching for them. The clutter that kept things hidden or unattainable isn’t necessary or helpful. Let the excess go. And be discerning.

3) If we are unwilling to do it, someone else will have the task forced upon them

There will come a time that an item that is special to us, will be special to no one. That is the way of the continuation of life. In some ways, to cultivate a well curated selection of sentimental items is a kindness to the people who will take over the responsibility for your things in the future. We hear of the load of pain and strife and labor when people need to go through a loved ones items after they pass.

Ultimately if we are unable to release an item out of guilt, we are passing on that guilt and discomfort to the ones we love. ‘Special things’ are special memories that we ourselves have connected to an item. But the memory exists without the item. Or else the feelings wouldn’t be provoked when the item is interacted with. Don’t let an overarching guilt keep you from lessening your load. It isn’t only a gift that you are giving to yourself.

And the idea of throwing away the tangled treasures and collections of someone you have loved and lost is likely torturous in every single way.

4) Have a system you can do in pieces and come back to easily

Because decluttering sentimental items can be massively emotional and mentally taxing, it is important to have a way to put it all away when you need to get away, in a way that won’t erase all your work. Work on a system that you can do in pieces and come back to. Divide it and come up with functional storing. As we declutter these items, it’s important to organize them as well.

It’s easy for our sentimental items to become a sort of giant black hole. We go in from time to time, get lost, perhaps get overwhelmed. And then we are forced to go through the tasks of corralling these items that are suddenly taking up most of the floor around us. Or all of the table. So start decluttering sentimental items with a selection of bags, smaller boxes or containers. And then, when you do start to make some piles that seem like an intuitive way to categorize, when you’ve had enough, you don’t ruin all that work by putting everything back into the same big bin, or pile.

5) Come up with a way to divide and contain sentimental items

It all might be in the same ol’ box or in the same ol’ closet. But that doesn’t mean it’s organized…

You could divide or categorize by person, it could be by time frame. As you start decluttering sentimental items, come up with rudimentary systems to begin with. Perhaps doing it by people might be a good start. Separating by actual items doesn’t tend to work. It’s not how remembering works. For instance, if your greeting cards from years and years are all together, it’s not an easy thing to just slip into for a few minutes when you are feeling thoughtful. And missing someone that you love.

But suppose you happen to be thinking of your mom. And so you pull out the box that is filled with pictures and things that were given to you by, or that remind you of her, it is an easy experience to add to your day. If things are categorized effectively, you will be able to get more enjoyment from the items more often.

If you create a simple system of organization for your sentimental items you may also slowly start to see what items are worthy of saving and what ones are just kind of in there. And maybe you don’t actually need to keep 150 wedding congratulations cards. But there may be two of them that are in fact thoughtful, special and worth keeping to look back on. So, let go of the other 148.

Conclusion

When we look at overloaded bins, boxes and photo albums that are spilling out of the closets and shelves, we might think, “Well I’m sentimental, it’s just the way I am.” And we wear that belief like a badge. So that we don’t need to do the challenging work that will serve us and others. Because the truth is that in not doing the work, we are keeping ourselves from the ease of the experience of seamlessly walking into the past at a whims desire.

The work of decluttering, curating and organizing our sentimental items can bring us closer to the items. And to the memories. It creates space and beauty around the things, the people, the memories. And it nourishes the power in these tiny pieces of the past. Remember to listen to your own heart. What is special to you, deserves to be given a safe space in your home.

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About the Author: Lyndsay Allison is a writer and YouTube creator who is passionate about the power that minimalism has to bring us greater contentment and ease. Her website, lyndsayallison.com is filled with articles and videos on mindfulness, minimalism, and simple living.