Following in an excerpt from my interview with Dr. Angela Chester from May 2021.
Janet-Dr. Angela, what causes Moms to still want to hold onto stuff? Is it because they’re holding on to the relationship, is it emotional? What do you think are some of the reasons why Moms just can’t let go of the teddy bear that their child had now that the teddy bear maybe over 30 years old?
Dr. Angela- That is such a good question and thank you for posing that question to me.
It’s a few things one we have people that are just nostalgic by nature you know they romanticize life and for them looking at that simply takes them back to that particular time so like your example of the high chair it reminds them of feeding their own little ones and being a mom and all the joys that brings to their recollection so they’re just overly nostalgic or overly romantic about the situation.
For some it represents something that was maybe a stable time in their lives so for them again it was something that was good it was something that was positive and if they get rid of it, they fear that in removing the item they remove the memory which is not true the memory is yours forever for as long as you want to remember. It is even in the way in which you want to remember it is going to be yours so allowing that item to leave doesn’t mean that that person is going to leave your life or that that memory is going to just start to fade.
It can be really hard for hoarders they have a hard time so remove it in stages so maybe take it from your dining room or living room go ahead and put it in that next place. Take it from the living room to the garage take it from the garage to the curb or take it put it in the attic if you really think it’s something that they’re going to come back and get at some point in time but, if they’re not, there has to come that point in time where you realize that you need to release it so that it can go and become something else so if you can’t even take it to a recycling center let it be repurposed into something else so that someone else can create a new memory out of something that you love so much.
To hear my entire interview with Dr. Angela click this link. After reading this blog and listening to the interview are inspired to get rid of stuff , please share what you decided to let go. If you need help schedule a 15 minute session so we can talk. If you would like to join a community of women who are on their personal journey to organize their life click the following link to my Living Life Totally Organized Facebook Group
