Today I address the “tough stuff.” You may be awesome at purging and organizing your home in general, recognizing what you don’t use or don’t need, but do you know how to handle and sort through sentimental items? Most of us don’t, and it’s perfectly ok. It can be overwhelming and most definitely emotional. It’s definitely something that should take more time and thought to go through in order for you to preserve the very best memories. I’ll give you fair warning that this is a long post, but there’s nothing easy about figuring out what you should do with your sentimental objects.

1. Memories Don’t Exist in Material Objects
   • Before you begin to tackle anything sentimental realize that memories don’t exist in material items. Memories exist in your mind and heart. Oftentimes we are worried our memories will disappear if we get rid of the material items, but if you’ve got boxes of sentimental items packed away, it’s most definitely not serving your memory, only your guilt. Your memories should instead live on through the stories you share with your loved ones.
2. Take Your Time & Embrace The Process
   • Sentimental objects are the most emotional items to process. Some people may only have a small box of sentimental items packed away and others may have an entire house of sentimental items. No matter how much you have, it will most likely be an emotional roller coaster. Oftentimes the emotions are too painful or difficult to deal with, so we ignore them and pack all of our items into boxes for storage. There is no rule that you have to tackle it all in a day, a weekend, or even a year. Sentimental objects should be enjoyed as you go through them, no matter how long it takes you…along with all of the emotions that arise during the process. Allow yourself enough space to take a break and think through things when it gets overwhelming, but don’t make “it’s too overwhelming” an excuse to halt the process altogether.
3. If We Keep All of Our “Sentimental Items”, Are Any of the Items Really Special Anymore?
   • We may have too many pieces than we know what to deal with, so therefore we don’t. They end up in storage. If we keep every single item then it diminishes how special those items are. Before you start simplifying your sentimental items it’s always good to establish some sort of guidelines on items you want to keep. It can be difficult to know where to start or what you should keep, so it’s important to recognize what is meaningful.
4. Determine What is Meaningful
   • Let’s take a card, for example. Did your grandmother write you a meaningful handwritten letter or note for one of your most memorable birthdays or life milestones? Or did she just give you a generic card and you’re keeping it just because it was something your grandmother gave you? Do you see the difference? Hopefully the thoughtful handwritten letter will elicit a more emotional memory, making it easier to let generic items go. You need to ask yourself “why” for every sentimental piece. Keep the items that spark a specific memory, make you laugh out loud, or have an interesting story and get rid of those that don’t, those that you are keeping just because they were once owned by a loved one.
5. What to Do With the Items You Want to Keep
   • Actually Use the Items
     • Why do we only keep fine china and crystal on display or only to be used for “special” occasions? Did your mother host a large family gathering every Sunday and set the table with her china? If so, why don’t you continue the tradition by using your crystal dinnerware for Sunday dinners? Or just use that set as your regular dinnerware? We should enjoy these items along with the company we keep. We shouldn’t make excuses about items being “too fragile” that we can’t use them. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll make someone chuckle because they will remember how you always used your fine china on “taco Tuesdays”. 🙂
   • Create a Display
     • The whole purpose of creating an intentional home is to decorate your home with meaningful pieces, rather than generic items you bought to fill up a space. Find a way to incorporate your sentimental pieces into your home’s décor. Your memories and experiences have made you who you are and should be displayed. If you’ve got pictures you’d love to keep, create a gallery wall to display them. Your displays and vignettes can be great conversational pieces, to be cherished and valued among family and friends who visit you, rather than hidden away in the attic.
   • Be Creative and Repurpose
     • Maybe you don’t have any actual use for a specific sentimental object as it currently is, but it still holds many significant memories. Repurposing these items can help preserve the memory while allowing you to gain usage from it as well. For example, maybe your grandmother was an amazing dresser during her time, but the prints are something you’d never wear in a million years. Instead, you think the fabric and print would be great for throw pillows you could place throughout your home. Every time you see the pillow you are reminded of how well of a dresser she was.
   • Keep a Journal and Write out your Memories
     • As you go through your items write out the memories associated with them. For example, maybe you aren’t much of a baker so you’d don’t have any use for your grandmother’s apron. Yet, you certainly remember how great of a cook she was. She was always in the kitchen cooking with her apron on, and anytime you visited she would always have a fresh batch of cookies to share. Your journals and stories are then something you can go back and read or pass on to your own family.
   • Take Pictures and Let the Items Go
     • Sometimes things are sentimental but we just don’t have the room to keep them. We can still preserve the items and their memories by photographing them. You can then frame the photos, create a photo book or scrapbook, or create a photo quilt.
   • Give the Object One Last “Hoorah!” Moment Before Laying it to Rest
     • Maybe you have a bunch of clothes that are too large for you because you have lost a significant amount of weight. You might be keeping a few just in case you can’t keep the weight off. Instead, celebrate how far you’ve come and where you are headed. Put your too-big-for-you-clothes on, snap a picture, and then donate the rest of the clothes. The picture can serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come, but you don’t have your old clothes weighing your new life down.
6.  Enlist the Help of Your Friends and Family
   •  Your friends and family love you and they want to support you. Invite those over who share some of the same memories. It’s a great way to reminisce and it can make it easier to deal with some of your feelings knowing that others are feeling the same way. Maybe you have some items you want to keep but you can’t find a reason to keep them. Your friends or family might have greater emotional ties to the item than you do. You should feel happy to give it to someone who does appreciate it.
7.  Things to Consider if You Are Still Having a Difficult Time
   • Ask yourself “why” you are keeping each item.
     • Is it guilt rather than the memory? Keeping something because you feel guilty is not really keeping something out of sentiment. Do you think your loved ones want you to feel guilty or be burdened by their stuff? I don’t think so. They most likely want you to live your very best life, guilt-free. Everything you own should make you feel good, not guilty.
   • Do these items (and any baggage that comes with it) affect your current relationships?
     • Many times the sentimental objects we collect represent an experience, important relationships, or accomplishments. However, depending on the amount of physical stuff we hold onto and what emotional baggage it comes with, they can affect our current relationships or future experiences and accomplishments. It can put a lot of strain on relationships without you realizing it. If you’ve never discussed it before, you should ask your significant other, children, siblings, and other families and friends how they feel. Maybe they are overwhelmed by all of your sentimental clutter, but don’t know how to approach the subject with you. Maybe they feel like you are constantly living in the past and have a hard time enjoying and living in the present. You might be surprised by their answers. Just don’t get defensive when they tell you the truth. Instead, try and understand where they are coming from.
   • Your home should be a living space for the present and not a storage space for the past.
8.  Your Children’s Stuff
   • If it’s your children’s stuff you are holding onto because you think your kids will want it someday, in reality, they probably don’t want every single finger painting or drawing they gave to you, especially if they don’t remember making it. You may need to come to terms that you are holding onto these items for your own emotional benefit. Ask your children if they want to keep anything or go through their stuff together. Keep what is sentimental to you, let them take what is sentimental to them, and get rid of the rest.
9. If You are Still on the Fence
   • Box it up and store it. Write the date you’ll come back to it on the box. If you don’t remember what’s in the box or you aren’t missing any of its contents, then it’s time to donate the items or offer it up to others.
10. Don’t Start Your Intentional Living Journey by Trying Simplify Your Sentimental Objects
    • You will never be able to curate your best home and life if your journey starts by trying to simplify your sentimental pieces. The most difficult, emotional items will take a while to pare down and simplify. If you start with these first, you’ll likely never get started. Instead, start with everyday household items you have multiples of or don’t use often enough.