One of the worst habits a person can fall into is hanging onto things no longer needed. Learning to let go of clutter is one of the hardest things for a packrat to learn. Some people just see to be born with a tendency to hoard things.

Sometimes a person has a problem with letting go of clutter because of a poor financial state they were forced to endure. Children growing up with little to claim as their own may develop a habit of hoarding things once they acquire a better lifestyle.

A person constantly on the move in their younger years may hoard clutter once they settle down.

An older person who has lost a loved one may have a hard time letting go of any clutter that belonged to their loved one.

A parent whose child has run away or been kidnapped or slipped into a coma may not be able to let go of the clutter belonging to that child.

Some people enjoy being a person someone can go to when they need something. To let go of clutter is to let go of a part of who they’ve become. They use the excuse that something useless may someday come in handy for someone.

Like when a child will brag on a grandparent because they always have just what they were looking for. To let go of clutter may make them feel they’re losing a connection that draws others to them in times of need.

It’s a source of amazement to discover what an elderly person could not let go of when it’s time to hold an estate sale for their belongings. Sometimes they will acquire clutter because of memory impairment. Elderly people who suffer memory loss may forget things they’ve already bought and end up with an entire drawer or cabinet of one type of item.

It’s interesting to attend a garage sale and see just what constitutes clutter to different families.

The kids decide to let go of toys they’ve outgrown, teens will let go of books they no longer read or music they no longer play. Kids outgrow clothes and styles.

husband decides he no longer needs certain tools or camping equipment once the kids have grown up and moved away.

Letting go of clutter can be sad in some cases. You realize you really have no reason to hold onto your child’s first grade drawings or that toy car collection.

Maybe Aunt Sallie is gone now, and you still have her hundreds of crochet books and never cared to learn to crochet yourself.

Letting go of also be a time to shut the door on the past or to end habits and start over fresh.

New beginnings can be scary and invigorating at the same time.

Ask a college student having to clean out their clutter so they can earn some money to help pay their tuition or fuel for their car.

Ask a high school student having to clean out their bedroom at their parents’ house because they’re moving away to another state for school or a job opportunity.

But clutter is just that---stuff. Clean out the old and make room for the new.

Kurien "Abe" Abraham is the owner of DiscoverOrganization.com and helps thousands of people create better, more organized lives without stress and chaos.

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