September 2024 - Letting Go of Sentimental Items
🧹 I think I say this every September: there’s something about September that makes it feel like a fresh start, like it’s more of a “new year” than January 1st.
One of my favorite things to do around this time of year, is a big decluttering session (or a couple). I’ll go through my kitchen and clean out the pantry and fridge. I’ll review my bookshelf, and any other storage solutions I have in the living room (one drawer and two boxes). I’ll go through my toiletries, my utility closet, my laptop, and finally my wardrobe to reconsider anything I haven’t used in the past year and get ready to sell, donate, or discard it.
This process doesn’t take me more than a day because there’s not much stuff there to begin with, but it’s funny how I always manage to find something that actually isn’t adding much to my life.
I love how the very actionable work of getting rid of the stuff around us has such downstream effects on how cluttered our psyche feels. Decluttering our space, helps us declutter our brains, which in turn, helps us declutter our souls.
When you’re no longer overstimulated and overwhelmed by your surroundings, it’s easier to get your thoughts in order and sort them out. Once you have the space to think in a more structured way, you get the space to go deeper and create lightness within.
One of the toughest parts when decluttering is when our stuff holds sentimental value. It’s so tough because these items are connected to all three of the layers: Our surroundings (the physical item cluttering up the space), our brains (overthinking what this item means to us), and our souls (the feelings this item provokes).
This month's newsletter is centered around letting go of difficult things:
- Sentimental items
- Internal clutter
- Noticing what you’ve been holding on to
Something by me
Sentimental items often hold significant emotional value because they are connected to important people, events, or periods in your life; they serve as tangible links to the past. These items can evoke feelings of nostalgia, love, happiness, and even sadness, in different quantities—and sometimes even at the same time.
Decluttering, especially when it involves letting go of sentimental items, is not just a physical task but an emotional one. It's about more than just clearing out space; it's a conscious decision to curate our belongings and, by extension, our what feels like our memories and sense of self. Many people find this process daunting because it challenges them to confront their attachments and the emotions tied to these objects.
Something by someone else
Title: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself - Michael A. Singer
Description: “By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, author and spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization.
The Untethered Soul begins by walking you through your relationship with your thoughts and emotions, helping you uncover the source and fluctuations of your inner energy. It then delves into what you can do to free yourself from the habitual thoughts, emotions, and energy patterns that limit your consciousness. Finally, with perfect clarity, this book opens the door to a life lived in the freedom of your innermost being.”
Why I like it: If there was ever a masterclass in letting go, it’s this book. My post on decluttering sentimental items is very practical, but if you ever want to go deeper I recommend checking out Michael Singer’s body of work. This is his first book but I have devoured all of them and they have changed the way I live.
Letting go of physical and digital stuff is just the tip of the iceberg, it's when we let go of our thoughts, expectations, fears, desires, and all that other internal stuff, that our life truly becomes lighter.
This is the book I recommend to anyone struggling with a heavy heart or with a brain that just won't stop coming up with reasons for them to suffer.
Something by you
This month, I invite you to notice something you’ve been holding on to for too long.
Notice how I used the words “for too long.” It’s not just something you’re holding on to, it’s something you’re slowly starting to realize might not be letting you live your best life. Don’t worry, you don’t have to let it go. All I want you to do is notice it. It can be a physical object, a person, a belief, a thought, an identity. Once you’ve found it, consider the following questions:
- How did this come into my life?
- What is making me hold onto it?
- How would my life be different without it?
Noticing and questioning what you’ve been holding on to might be enough to get the ball rolling for change. No need to force or judge anything, just observe and see what happens.
Refine updates: Behind the scenes
This month, I’ve taken a break from doing any extra projects. Creating the course was a blast, and creating the bonus module was also something I had been excited to add for a while. But as Refine is just a small part of my life, it has also felt good to take a breather.
