We hold onto a lot of stuff. Over the years items accumulate and that once empty closet is overflowing. Promises are made that the item will be used again but, it continues to sit there unused. If you are ready to move forward here is help for letting go.
Hoarding Made Me Feel Stuck
I love shoes. Sandals, wedges, sneakers, heels, boat shoes, slip on's, etc I adore all of them. With my fondness for shoes I own way too many pairs.
For the longest time, I thought that it was typical to own over 50 pairs of shoes. I kept every pair I bought, no matter how worn and torn or unworn they were. The thought of parting with them brought feelings similar to losing a best friend.
For years, I stashed shoes all over my room. I had two totes under my bed full of shoes. There were baskets of shoes crammed under my bed. My closet had a stacker full of shoes.
I hit a point in my life where I felt that I was stuck. I verbally expressed feeling stuck and as though nothing in my life was moving forward. I did not understand why I could not move past the point I was at.
I was taking a self improvement class and the teacher brought up hoarding. He explained when we keep things we are also storing emotion attached to that item. By overloading and keeping too much it will halt your ability to allow new emotions in.
He said "don't own so much stuff that you would be relieved if your house burnt down." I thought about my shoes sitting at home stored away and realized that I was trapped by past emotions.
I went home and sorted through my shoes. I got rid of pairs of shoes that I had kept for years. I cleared out the stacker and totes under my bed. I narrowed my shoes down to what I actually wore.
My life began to move forward. I was able to forgive and stop hurting. I could feel my energy shift and felt lighter after letting go of all the excess shoes.
You Can Move Forward Too
Set a Time Limit
Decide when you are going to clear your things out and then schedule it. Give yourself a set amount of time and even set a timer if you need to. Finish clearing it out by that time.
Once you start do not stop! You will want to wander off or may get distracted by cleaning something else. Work on one thing at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed and stay focused on your task.
Create Piles and No Going Back
Make a keep, donate, and throw away pile. Whatever you put in the pile stays in that pile. No go backs on donate items. For donate and throw away put them in garbage bags to make it less visible and take backs less likely.
Sort through your things and try to move quickly. Pick it up and ask keep or get rid of? Go with the first answer. Unless it is keep to everything then you need to ask if you have or will actually use it. If the answer is no then get rid of it.
Don't sit there and reminisce what happened while you wore that shirt/necklace or whatever you are holding. It will make it more difficult to let go.
Get Rid of It!
Once you are finished sorting put the bags in your car and drive to your local donation center. Don't just put them in your car and say you will go later. The bags will sit in your car and you will never take them there.
You aren't actually getting rid of it by just storing it in a different place. Make the clean cut and lose it. Say goodbye and drop it off.
Start to Move Forward
You will feel lighter once you clear out the extra stuff from your life. Your energy will have a shift and you will be able to allow new emotions into your life. Be ready to experience changes in your life.
Decluttering is Great
By learning to let go of stuff no longer serving a purpose in your life you will be able to move forward and feel new emotions. You need to set the time, sort, and purge to begin a fresh start in your life.
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