The problem lies in the emotional attachment to too many things
The belief that objects are of greater value than just their function or appearance
The Empty Chair
is an emotional attachment and is symbolic of the missing person in our life. The chair on its own has no emotion. It is who sat in that chair is what attaches emotion to the chair. Leaving the chair in the room is a constant reminder of what was. The past and not the future. Will you forget the person who sat in that chair if the chair is no longer there? I think for some that is a real fear, if the chair goes away, the memory goes with it. Do you think you could completely erase them from your brain because an object is gone.
It is better for your mental health if there isn’t a constant reminder that the person is no longer with you in the physical world. Not having constant reminders will help you to live in the present moment.
Gifts
Guilt is the emotion often attached to gifts. ‘So & So’ gave this to me. Even though I don’t like it and use it, I can’t get rid of it.’ What is the purpose of a gift? It is to let someone know that you care about them. Once it is given, its job is done. The object now belongs to you and it is yours to do with what you please. Read this blog post to better understand the job of gifts Gifts Can Add to Clutter
Security Blanket
Sometimes the hurt is more than we can stand and we want the pain to go away. It is a false sense of safety and comfort. Perhaps we hold on to things because:
We want to hold on tightly to a lost loved one.
Once there was very little in our life. We didn’t have much growing up
Of fear ‘I might need that someday’.
We want to hang our to our children so we keep their clothes, artwork, etc., even though they are adults
We all have attached emotions to objects…the problem lies in having too many emotional attachments to objects. If you have too many, than examine what you have and only keep those that have significant meaning to you. For example, I was very close to my grandmother. I have only 2 things of hers…her tea cart and her watch. Both of which remind me of her in a special way and they will always have a place in my everyday life.