Why you need to get rid of old things – 8 tips from a psychologist

Is there at least one Russian family in whose bins there will be no old furniture, stacks of Soviet magazines tied with ropes, old shoes “for summer cottages” and other things that require urgent evacuation to the trash heap? Probably not. We are all Plyushkin in some way, and “sources of mites, allergens, mold and moths” have been stored for decades on every balcony, closet, mezzanine and cupboards.

COLADY will tell you why you need to get rid of old things that litter your space.

See also: Rules for saving water at home – how to save water?

Why you need to get rid of old things – 10 arguments

• Old things clutter up the space in the house and impede not only the free circulation of clean air, but also (according to feng shui) qi (life) energy. One can treat the very philosophy of feng shui in different ways, but it is impossible to deny the negative impact of old stuff in the house on the health of household members. Old things bring us old energy, dust, mites, etc., responding with poor health, laziness, apathy, and as a result – negative thoughts and projecting them onto your life.
• If you want to change anything in your life, start small. There will be no order in life and in your head if there is no order in your house. Any changes are beneficial. And as a rule, just getting rid of the trash in the apartment, you begin to feel changes for the better.
• The old things in the house and the attachment to them are programming yourself for poverty. We say to ourselves: “What if I throw away this sofa now, but I can’t buy a new one?”, Projecting our pessimism onto our well-being in advance.
• According to a Chinese proverb, the new will not appear in life until the old is gone. Junk and old stuff is the main obstacle to life energy. That is, until you make room for the “new”, you will have to live with the “old” (with all the ensuing consequences).
• The most negative energy accumulates in those corners of the apartment where old things have been lying for years., and where the hands of the owners do not reach. Old, out of fashion boots with worn out heels, boxes with old dishes, skis and skates from childhood and especially chipped cups, worn out clothes, broken radios and other things that are “a pity to throw away” are a source of negative energy. Clearing our home from such energy, from trash, we open the doors to happiness, abundance and harmony.
• Of course, it makes no sense to throw away heirlooms and antiques from relatives of great-grandmothers. But if these items cause unpleasant emotions or memories in you, you also need to get rid of them (give, sell, hand over to the salon, etc.). Any old thing is powerful energy. If you do not have confidence in its origin and positive history, you should not keep such a thing at home.

• A fact established by experts: old, unnecessary things in the house negatively affect the psyche of households… Getting rid of trash is tantamount to effective “psychotherapy” that helps relieve stress, protect against depression.
• Carpets are warm, soft and beautiful. We will not argue. But old carpets in the house (and new ones too) are a source of dust, mites, etc. There are few people who regularly take carpets to dry cleaning, and house cleaning (even the most thorough one) does not clean the carpet base 100 percent. What can we say about the walls hung with Soviet carpets – the toxins of modern cities are absorbed in them for years. Get rid of dust collectors! To keep it warm, soft and beautiful, today there are warm floors, cork floors and other non-hazardous coatings.
• Old books. Of course it’s a pity. Piles of magazines, science fiction, newspapers, books piled up over the decades, which were once “on fire in the afternoon”, and indeed “throwing away books is a sin.” But! “Library” dust is a strong allergen, the quality of paper leaves much to be desired, cheap paints and the content of lead in them (in newspapers, magazines) is a poison for the body. If the house does not have a safe, separate place for storing such things, take them to the country, hand out or hand over old books to stores.
• If you have allergies and asthmatics in your familyGetting rid of old things is your first priority.

“Sentimental” thing in memory of the past – this is understandable and understandable. A statuette in memory of a grandmother, an old coffee table or a sugar bowl – these are things that we attach special importance to. Well, do not part with them – and that’s it.

But when these memorable “sentimental” things begin to surround you from all sides, fill pantries and suitcases, crawl across the kitchen shelves and cupboards, interfering with your desires to “live your own way” “The grandmother herself”) – it means that it’s time to change something in your mind and life.

Learning to get rid of rubbish profitably

1. We disassemble the shelves with books. We leave those books that have any value (old ones, simply dear to the heart). We sort the rest according to the situation: children’s books, science fiction, detective stories and other readable literature are transferred to libraries, books of the Soviet era are sold or handed over for sale (today there are many opportunities and lovers of old books for such a “maneuver”), cookbooks from the category “take meat for 2 rubles … “we give it away or safely put it in a box near the trash heap.
2. Family archive. Well, which mother would raise her hand to throw away the old drawings, letters, manuscripts and notes of the child? It is not difficult to preserve such a legacy (for future generations) – it is enough to modernize the archive by digitizing all commemorative papers and drawings. The same can be done with boxes of “ancient” videotapes, which capture weddings, birthdays and simply memorable events – digitize and free up space.
3. Old furniture. There are not so many options: place advertisements for sale on the Internet, take it to the country house, give it to those in need, update it in the workshop or on your own and give an old chair (for example) a new life.
4. Before throwing a thing into the trash, ask about its value. Perhaps this chest of drawers from your grandmother will bring you money for a new refrigerator, and the stockbook with old stamps will contain rare “pieces of paper with native glue”, which collectors have been chasing for many years.
5. Buy new items only after you get rid of old ones. You do not need to store a dozen new bedding sets in the closet if you still have two dozen old ones there. Or buy a new refrigerator when you have a whole maze of old ones in your hallway.
6. Fold all things from the mezzanine (from the closet, from the pantry) into one pile and sort it into “you can’t do without it”, “come in handy”, “well, why do I need this” and “urgently in the trash heap.” Get rid of unnecessary junk without hesitation – discipline yourself.
7. Lots of old clothes, which has long gone out of fashion, has become large / small, slightly rubbed, has defects? Wash it, iron it, eliminate defects and take it to a thrift store (second-hand, Internet “flea market”, etc.). All the same, the money was spent, and it is foolish to just throw away things that are still capable of serving someone, and which can still bring a pretty penny. Read also: How to put things in order in the closet with clothes – advice to housewives from housewives.
8. Please note – can you update the items that you decide to throw away? For example, make fashionable shorts from old jeans, a decorative item from an old sweater, a masterpiece of painting from an old flowerpot, or a hand-made blanket from a blanket that your mother gave you?

Do not rush to immediately throw away old appliances, stamps, dishes and interior items. First, examine their possible cost. in the Internet. Post photos of things with descriptions on all possible sites. If within a month no one shows interest in your “goods” – feel free to take them to the trash heap.

Do you easily get rid of old things? Let us know in the comments!