Why do fears hold you back from throwing things away and eliminating clutter?    

Everyone has fears. May it be fear of spiders, fear of the dark and a whole lot more but what if you fear about throwing things away? What if you don’t want to throw things and they end piling up more than you anticipated? This will become a problem.     

Fear is defined as to be afraid of or to expect with alarm. But why is throwing things away something to be afraid of or alarmed with in the first place? Some people hold on to things because they believe it has been a part of what they had gone through. They feel the need to have such things in their lives that without them, they feel useless. They feel like a big part of their self has been taken away. Other reason is that, they have sentimental value. Some people can be very nostalgic and that they keep things even if the memory is long gone. They believe that if they keep it, they can hold on to those memories when the truth is, they are only keeping these things so that they feel would feel secured. Reality is, none of these things can ever make one secure.

A person attached to clutter also known as hoarding is a diagnosable ailment. It is identified by the degree of mental disturbance just by the thought of throwing things away. This can actually cause great anxiety to once anything in their possession is thrown away. In severe cases, there are people who panic or are immobilized by the situation. Leaving them distressed and their ability to function normally is impaired.

So what can you do about this anxiety? First is, identify if you have so much things that you don’t need. If you feel like you have so much but you don’t know why then most likely you have a hoarding problem. Understand that hoarding is identified with traits such as repeating obsessive behavior, perfectionism, indecisiveness, procrastination and avoidance which is exhibited to a higher degree more than an average individual. If in any case you are experiencing these, then you may have this kind of ailment. Identifying the situation may help you get started.

Throwing things away can be an emotional trauma to those who value things a lot. People have their own reasons why they don’t throw things right away. But if the things you are keeping gets too much and that it affects your daily life, then this is not a good idea anymore. Start by throwing away things you don’t need like small pieces of paper, plastic bottles and other things. Keep in mind that you can’t throw everything all at once. If needed, go through everything else first and decide which ones you are going to throw. Decide and make a plan.

See what are the things you need to let go first?

Take time to prepare yourself if this will be a big step of change. Consider the things that you really need to get rid of. Also weigh in your priorities. If your priority is to have a clean and happy home, then it is time to get rid of the clutter that’s been taking up the space in your life. However if you really value the things you have then consider having a garage sale. Or give a few of the most important things to people you know who can take care of them. Another best way to get rid of clutter is to throw things that you least like or is attached to you. If you can do this then throwing the rest will come easy.

Letting go of things is always a hard thing to do but if you aim for a healthy life and a happy home then you have to learn how to face your fears. Remember that change is always available if you really want to. The choice is within you so do choose well.