Does it spark joy? That’s the KonMari inspired question you ask yourself whenever you’re cleaning your room. And almost, as if on cue, a wave of nostalgia that surrounds your broken coffee mug, the sweater that no longer fits or the lamp your best friend gifted you descends on you and prevents you from decluttering.
We recognise that being emotionally attached to your belongings is a very natural thing, but even if you’ve booked a spacious accommodation with lots of storage space on stanzaliving.com, there’s a limit to the amount that you can hoard. After all, your paying guest room is just that – a room (albeit with ample storage), but a room and not a designated godown.
Even if you have a huge emotional block against selling, donating or discarding items that you no longer need, you need to work your way through it. Because what you’re attached to is not really the item, but the memory. That’s why we’ve got three key tips to help you actually declutter your space. These solutions will help you hold on to your memories even if you get rid of the physical objects. Sounds too good to be true? Check them out below.
Take photographs
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You’ve outgrown your favourite top, but it holds so many important memories. You wore it on your first day of college, at your birthday party and even on that unforgettable weekend outing with your squad. There’s no way you want to just throw it out. But if you’re not going to be able to wear the top again, it doesn’t make sense for it to occupy valuable space in your cupboard.
Instead, you can take a photo of the top for your memories, and sell or donate the actual item. Having a photo of it on your phone will take up way less space and be a lot easier to store and transport. The same applies for bulkier items that you no longer have use for. Document them as photographs and discard them in real life. If you think you’re going to miss the physicality of your belongings too much, you could even print them out and save them in a scrapbook, where you can write down the memories associated with each object. It’ll be a great way for you to look back on this phase of your life.
Upcycle it
If you’re truly unable to let go of your belongings for sentimental reasons, you could also try to repurpose them into things that you can actually use. If your favourite coffee mug has lost its handle, sand down the edges and turn it into a pen stand or planter. If one of your favourite t-shirts has got an odd stain at the bottom, consider DIYing it into a pillowcase or combining it with other old clothes and turning it into a quilt. There are tonnes of upcycling projects on the internet that can rescue your belongings from being donated or discarded. This way you’ll be able to save the objects you’re emotionally attached to and give them a new purpose at the same time.
Keep souvenirs
Sometimes, you’re attached to some things or a set of objects because they remind you of the person you were when you used them. Your textbooks from your first semester of college, the soft toys from your childhood, the YA novels you collected during your teen years – all of these hold a special place in your heart as markers for different phases of your life.
But that doesn’t mean you need to fill your PG in GTB Nagar, Delhi with all of them. Instead, you can keep one or two key items from each category to act as souvenirs for these different parts of your journey. By cutting down on the volume, you’ll be saving a lot of space without sacrificing the memories. And of course, you can take photographs of whatever you do get rid of so that you can preserve the memory for yourself.
This is also a good habit to develop over time so that you can track how you’ve grown without hoarding large amounts of stuff or becoming disorganized. And think about it, this will also reduce the likelihood of fights with roommates or PG mates who might be feeling claustrophobic with all your clutter is spilling around them.
And there you have it. Now you no longer need to let your nostalgia get in the way of being able to declutter your PG. Because being emotionally attached to your belongings is good, but having a clean and organised space is equally important. Now that you know how to preserve your memories even without hanging onto the objects, it’ll be a lot easier to separate your sentiments from your space. Happy organising!
