How to get rid of emotional clutter

FINDING IT HARD TO CLEAR OUT THINGS YOU DON'T NEED, BUT CAN'T LET GO OF? OUR EXPERTS ADVISE...

- VANESSA RICHMOND

Some belongings come with deep emotional ties to a person or time in your past (or both). You want to stay connected to them, but they might be swamping your space or stopping you from embracing the now and finding happiness in the present.

There are myriad ways to streamline and tidy your home, but we asked three professional organisers with expertise and experience in the psychological aspects of decluttering for their advice on how to get rid of emotional clutter.

Cher Casey of The Mindful Organiser reveals, 'The most common categories of “emotional” clutter that I see are kids' artwork, clothes and toys, items passed down by deceased family members, things from a person's childhood or a meaningful occasion or life stage (wedding, uni or pre-divorce), and jewellery. Books can be an underdog category, but are highly sentimental for many of my clients.'

Tanya Sanyal at Organised Joy adds, 'It might be about emotions attached to certain items, or about shopping behaviours or habits that have led to the clutter. For example, overbuying groceries and stocking up on bulk deals may be linked to a feeling of scarcity growing up or an excessive fear of crises. Without unpicking the possible emotional causes of clutter, it's hard to deal with the physical issue.'