The other day, I received an email from someone saying the following: “I’m finding it so hard to throw things out that I feel that I spent quite a bit of money on, especially if I bought it recently. There’s a lot of guilt! This is where I am struggling.”
First of all, I get it. I can resonate with this kind of feeling very well as I’ve encountered it myself. Also, I regularly talk to some of my clients about this if they struggle with the same issue. So, feelings of guilt are pretty common in the midst of your KonMari tidying festival.
Since this issue is so common, I thought I’d share a few tips that can help with those feelings of guilt and move you along on your KonMari journey more seamlessly.
1) Vision
Typically, when difficulties arise during tidying, I encourage clients to think back to the vision of their ideal home and lifestyle they created before they started. This usually helps put things in perspective. If you think back to why you’re doing what you’re doing and the ultimate goals you’re trying to achieve, you know what to do. If you haven’t developed your vision before you started tidying, I suggest you go back and really work on it before continuing. Then, when it comes to those “guilty items” in question, letting go has likely become easier.
2) Recoup Partial Costs
Think about selling the items in question. I found that this often helps when it comes to letting go of rather expensive items that haven’t been used much or at all. But be realistic about what items you can sell and if it’s worth your time to actually go through the selling process. Also, it’s crucial to give yourself a deadline until when you want the item to be sold. Once the time is up I suggest you donate it. Otherwise, those items might never leave your house.
3) Donate To People In Need
How about you donate those items to people in need? Many people are less fortunate than you and I and are in need of those things you want to part with. Think about it as a way of giving back and doing something good. Oftentimes, this helps make people feel much better about letting go said items.
4) Shift Your Mindset
I wrote about this in my blog post “What to do with unwanted gifts”. Give the article a read – just replace “gift” with “expensive items” and the gift giver with yourself. Shifting your mindset is sometimes all it takes to feel better about letting go of initially guilt-inducing things.
5) Choose Joy
Think back to one of the core principles of the KonMari Method: i.e., you should choose the things you want to surround yourself with and not what you want to get rid of. Specifically, please read the little passage “Choose what sparks joy for you” in this blog post.
6) Take The Plunge
Try to “rip off the band-aid” with one of your difficult-to-let-go-of items. Donate it to someplace and see how you feel a few days after. In my experience, people don’t even think about it anymore and feel like a little weight lifted off their shoulders. I bet it will be easier to let go of your remaining items after the first one.
Do you experience feelings of guilt when you’re tidying? How do you deal with it?
PIN IT:
