Why do we need to keep so many things?

Our society has become one of things. The newest and greatest things. There are things for everything. We see them advertised and we see them promoted in stores and on the street. We see our friends and collegues with them so we have to have them. Then over the years we find that these things begin to suffocate our lives and hang around our necks like a ball and chain.

Now I agree that there are a minimum of things required for a comfortable life. We want to be well dressed for each season, we require certain utensils to cook and eat with, or we keep certain products and tools that enable us to clean up so that our environment stays sanitary.

Beyond the basics, we find ourselves accumulating more and more things over the years. The question is, why do we need to keep so many things? The field of psychology has studied this question and found the following reasons.

Sentimentality

We receive gifts from friends and loved ones over the years. We purchase souvenirs of that great trip that we made to Hawaii. We inherit some articles from our parents or that favorite aunt. All these things produce a strong emotional and sentimental attachment. To get rid of them would be equivalent to destroying the memory of the people or places from where they came. So they pile up.

It may be useful

We all have those piles of rags that we keep, the can of paint that is half empty, some empty frames without pictures in them, 10 extra unused plant pots or 15 pens in the drawer. The list continues as we accumulate all these items and products all because we think that they may come in handy one day.

Regret

Sometimes we find we have purchased something that we thought would be great only to use it once or twice then have it quickly retired to the drawer graveyard of things. In our day and age, product lifecycles have become so short. Where products once lasted years before you would change them, that has now been reduced to months. I am sure everybody has an ipod that they don’t use anymore. I have a small ipod that was purchased for $70, only to find that the iphone was then introduced shortly after, then an ipad after that, then the new iphone etc. etc. etc. That ipod ended up in the drawer. Why don’t we get rid of it? We paid $70 for it and it is hardly used. Who wants to throw that away? That comes from purchase regret, so we hold on to it.

Perceived value

We hold on to many things for the simple reason that we believe these things have a certain percieved value and may in fact increase in value in the coming years. That Royal Doulton set of English bone china tea cups with the gold leaf that you never use are collectors items. They could fetch huge dollars in the future. So we keep them.

Saving for a special occasion

My mom used to have a whole dining set that she kept in two cupboards, but we never used them. They were too good to use everyday. Actually we did use them, once a year at Christmas. We break out the real important items once every 10 years when we have that big special family reunion, or you keep that one dress that you wore to your daughters wedding folded away, never to wear it again. These are things we keep for special occasions.

In the end we accumulate a ton of stuff. The problem with having too many things is that it begins to affect us. It affects us mentally and physically.

Effects on Mental Health

Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives.

Too much clutter tends to bombard our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, or tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren't necessary or important. This distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should really be on.

A disorganized and messy environment has been known to cause difficulties to relax, both mentally and physically as it can signal to our brains that our work is never done. This in turn causes overwhelm and a sense of constant anxiety.

An environment full of clutter has been seen to be the source of inhibited creativity and productivity. This led to the office space revolution of open spaces, which allow people to think, brain storm and problem solve.

You have 15 pens in the drawer, but which drawer and which one works? Not being able to find things we need quickly is a source of frustration to many.

Living with too many things often prevents us from living in the moment. “If you have so much stuff it drags you into the past or pulls you into the future, you can’t live in the present,” explains organizational expert Peter Walsh.

Effects on Physical Health

Have you ever come around to spending your Saturday eventually cleaning up that messy room or cupboard, only to find a bunch of ants running around, or a large pile of mold with hair growing on it?

Extreme hoarders have been found with serious health ailments because of their unhealthy living environments. The build up of mold or dust can exacerbate allergies in many. An environment with an unhealthy level of germs can also cause sickness.

It is not everyday someone has a book shelf fall on them but a large amount of clutter can nncreases the risk of fire and injuries.

Through his reserch, Peter Walsh found a link between over-consumption of stuff and over-consumption of food.

“As people start to control the clutter, they begin to take better care of themselves,” according to professional organizer Lynne Gilberg.

What we can do about it

In a study, published online in the Journal of Marketing , the authors explored the effectiveness of memory preservation strategies (e.g., taking a photo of a good before donating it) in increasing donations to nonprofits.
Researchers found that people were more willing to give away unneeded goods that still had sentimental value if they were encouraged to take a photo of these items first, or find another way to preserve the memories. "What people really don't want to give up is the memories associated with the item," said Rebecca Reczek, co-author of the study and associate professor of marketing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.

A Japanese organizing consultant, named Marie Kondo, set off a decluttering craze across the globe with her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

In her book, Kondo emphasises the fact that if something means so much to you, such as a picture, then it should be in a frame on your wall where you can enjoy it. Otherwise, put together a photo album that you can look at instead of keeping a bunch of photos in a box somewhere.

She says to be honest and go through your clothes and only keep what is necessary. Do you really need 12 T-shirts?

We live in a digital world now whether you like it or not. The positive side is we can store thousands of books or music albums on a chip no bigger than your thumb. Old papers that must be kept for whatever reason can now be scanned and placed on a harddrive where they can be retrieved in seconds.

I love books, and although I have many on an ipad I still like the physical book. So, I present them on a nice bookshelf because I see them as something aesthetic. But I don’t keep them in boxes tucked in a closet somewhere.

It’s a little morbid to think about, but none of us know how long we have on earth. There is no object so precious we should deny ourselves while we can still enjoy it. Eat off the good plates. Wear the fancy jewelery. It is all the better that you grace a regular moment with an extraordinary item rather than having it end up unused in a storage closet after you’re gone (Have you ever watched the show Storage Wars?).

Do yourself a favor, let go. Keep your most precious items and put them on display, keep the items that you use regularly that simplify your life. Liberate your space and your mind and live in the present.