You’d be hard-pressed to find someone out there who doesn’t have a stash of junk in their home. Sometimes, there will be things that clearly should be in the garbage. Why do so many people fall prey to this behavior of not throwing things away? If you have a pile like this somewhere in your home, one of these reasons you have trouble throwing things away might be holding you back.
It Might Be Useful “Later”
This is a classic excuse that a lot of people use to hang onto things they don’t really need. If you can’t see an immediate use for something, especially if you can’t see a use for it in the immediate future, you most likely don’t need it. If it turns out later down the line that you absolutely need it, you can get another one and it won’t be the end of the world.
Sentimental Attachment To Items
A lot of people will hold onto something simply for the sentimental value. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this; sentimentality is not a weakness. However, there is a limit, and you can go overboard with it. Sentimental clutter refers to things that you know you don’t need, but you have some kind of emotional attachment to. These items are difficult to toss, but the freedom you feel when they are gone can give you a lot of relief.
You Feel Guilty Throwing It Away
A common reason you might have trouble throwing things away is that there’s a certain sense of guilt surrounding the item. This is an excuse you hear a lot when someone talks about a gift that they received that they didn’t actually want. The guilt comes from the idea that you don’t want to let the person who gave it to you down by throwing it away. Usually, though, if that person knew that you only kept the gift out of guilt, they’d probably want you to get rid of it.
You Might Sell or Fix it
While not always a lie that we tell ourselves, a lot of clutter does tend to spring from good intentions. Maybe it’s a broken tool or an older kitchen appliance—something that could be useful if enough time was put into it. You need to be honest with yourself in these scenarios; what is the real likelihood that you’ll take the time to fix or repair something? If you realize that you probably won’t ever get to it, don’t feel guilty about tossing or donating the item instead.
