When we are younger we love our toys, pictures, clothes and other souvenirs from our childhood. When we are older we love to look back at the stuff from our childhood to reminisce or to show people some stuff. However, collecting all of that stuff can become junk or useless clutter and can be considered hoarding. We wonder why it is we are so attached to certain stuff like that and according to this article it is because this is like our adult teddy bear. Which means, we love it dearly and never want to go anywhere without it. We can never let certain stuff go no matter how old we get.
Key Takeaways:
- According to Julie Holland, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, “Sentimental clutter is the adult equivalent of a teddy bear.”
- Bid farewell to an object that holds sentimental value to you but that you no longer use or enjoy. This advice comes from Marie Kondo, author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
- Marie states, you can always take a picture of an item before parting with it—thus allowing you to keep a symbol of an item, which sometimes is all we’re really seeking.
“A study from the Yale School of Medicine found that “for many, letting go is literally painful” —meaning that for some of us, parts of our brain associated with physical pain are triggered when trying to part with certain items.”
