What the heck is a sentimental onion??? Well, it's not really a thing, but more like a thought process when decluttering sentimental items.
Oftentimes, it can be difficult letting go of sentimental items, even if we know we really don't want them anymore and they are just taking up space. Something just seems to hold us back from letting go. It could be that we feel guilty, sad, or obligated to keep it. It could trigger a memory of a happier time or remind you of a loved one that has passed. For whatever reason, you just can't bring yourself to let it go...or so you think you can't.
Keeping and honoring a few cherished items to remember someone or a time in your life is okay. There is a saying that goes "Keep the best of the best and let go of the rest." Keeping too many items that go and live in a box in the cold dark basement is not honoring those items for their sentimental value and sadly it all just becomes clutter to deal with later on.
When you declutter and come across a sentimental item, sometimes our first reaction is "I can't get rid of that!" and back in the box it goes. I think that happens with a lot with things that you don't see very often. It's like you forgot you had it and then out of nowhere, there it is bringing up strong emotions. (Side note: those emotions can be both positive or negative.) So how do you get past that knee jerk reaction to keep a lot of sentimental items? You've got to peel the sentimental onion.
When you look at your sentimental items/things you are having a difficult time letting go of, think of decluttering them as peeling away layers of an onion. The first time you look at that difficult item you might decide to keep it but the next time you look at it, you might decide to let it go and you peel that layer of the onion. The time between looking at it and letting it go might only be a few minutes, or it could be your next decluttering session. Touch it, allow yourself time to process your emotional attachment to it and then make the decision to let it go when your ready. It could be the next layer to be decluttered or maybe 2 layers down in the onion, but you keep peeling your onion.
I worked with a woman who's daughter passed away from breast cancer in her 30's. We came across a nondescript small cooler that she wanted to keep even though she said she didn't use it. When I asked her about it, she said that's the cooler they took snacks to her daughter's chemo appointments. She wiped away a few tears, set the cooler aside and we moved on. After we took a short break, she looked at the cooler and said that she could let it go. I think taking a few minutes after the rush of emotions when seeing the cooler allowed her to mentally process her emotions and then she allowed herself to let it go. Maybe knowing that she could make the decision to keep it if she wanted to in turn, gave her the power to actually choose to let it go. (I could keep it if I wanted to, but I'm allowing myself to let it go)
Your onion might only have just a few layers or many layers. Some layers might be tougher than others. You might need to set the onion down and try again at another time. Processing that whole onion all at once can be overwhelming, so if you find yourself struggling to make a decision, take it slow, recognize your feelings, set it aside if you need to and when you come back to it, you just might feel confident enough to let it go. Just keep peeling the onion, one layer at a time.
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