10 Ways To Overcome Your Decluttering Fears & Anxiety

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Walking through your decluttering fears, like many anxieties, is a personal and worthy process. With this article, I am hoping to gently guide you through your decluttering fears.

Acknowledge Your Decluttering Fear

• Identify Specific Fears
  Pinpoint exactly what in the decluttering process scares you. The most common decluttering fears include fear of letting go of sentimental items, fear of regret, fear of change, and fear of losing part of your identity.
• Understand Why
  What do you think will happen when you let go of some of your physical items? Are your fears tied to memories, a sense of security, or a need for control? Understanding the root of your fear is crucial to overcoming it.

Your first step is to get a trash bag and go around your home and collect any obvious trash like old pizza boxes, bottles, cans, and torn wrappers. Unwanted and broken items are easy to discard. So make this your second step.

Reframe Your Mindset

• Focus on Gains, Not Losses
  Shift your mindset from focusing on what you might lose to what you stand to gain. Having fewer possessions will bring you a clutter-free physical space and isn't this the point of why you want to declutter?
• Visualize the Outcome
  Picture a clutter-free space and how it would feel. Keep envisioning the positive effects of decluttering can motivate you to move forward, especially when you feel like quitting. Visualization is a powerful technique.
• Start with Mental Clutter
  Address any mental clutter that may be contributing to physical clutter. Fear of decluttering often stems from a chaotic mental state.
• To learn more about mental clutter check out these article...
  Have You Done The Work To Physically & Mentally Declutter?
  
  How A Cluttered Home Can Impact Mental Health
  
  Mental Clarity | The Key To Decluttering Your Home

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Start Small to Eliminate Decluttering Fears

• Tackle One Area
  Choose a small, non-threatening area, like the kitchen junk drawer, to begin decluttering. Most people are not emotionally attached to the debris we throw in this drawer! I'm talking about brittle elastics, broken basters, and bits of string. Get rid of it!
• Set Small Goals
  Break the process into small, manageable tasks. Decluttering can be overwhelming, but small wins build momentum. This is not a marathon! It took a while for clutter to build and becoming clutter-free overnight is not going to happen. Nor should it. Progress is what you are looking for.
• No Pressure for Perfection
  Remind yourself that it's okay not to be perfect and that perfection is a fantasy. Decluttering is a process, not a one-time event. Progress, not perfection is my aim for everything I do.. Little by slow this progress shows a completed task. Set simple goals and relish the simple wins. Wins are what keep you in the game!
• How Procrastination & Perfectionism Sabotage Decluttering

Challenge the “What Ifs”

• What if I Need This Later?
  Ask yourself if it’s something you’ve used in the past year. If not, you probably don't need it. Can you borrow or replace it if needed?
• What if I Regret Letting Go?
  Regret is a natural fear, but consider if you’re holding on for a realistic purpose or just out of fear. Could a photo or digital archive suffice?
• What if It’s Sentimental?
  If items hold sentimental value, consider keeping just a few special pieces or finding creative ways to honor memories, like framing photos, or creating memory boxes. Our loved one's intention was never to burden us with their possessions.

Address Emotional Attachments For Relief From Decluttering Fears

• Separate the Emotion from the Object
  Recognize that the memories associated with an item are not contained in the object itself. You can let go of the item while keeping the memories.
• Give Meaningful Items New Life
  Consider gifting sentimental items to someone who would appreciate them or donating to a cause that resonates with you.
• Tips To Declutter Sentimental Stuff
  
  When my Mom died we each kept a few meaningful, practical things. That's it. Take what you need and leave the rest. Do not burden yourself with physical stuff. You will always have your memories!

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Lean on Support to Overcome Decluttering Fears

• Ask for Help
  Enlist the help of a friend or family member. They can provide an outside perspective and emotional support. A lot of people have trouble with this. I love helping people! Give someone the opportunity to feel useful.
• Accountability Partner
  Having someone to share your progress with or check in on you can help you stay motivated and less overwhelmed. Maybe you can find a friend to join you in a decluttering project!
  
  You could each agree to decluttering one item a day and check in with each other regularly to keep each other on track! I did this with a group of people for the 40 Days of Lent and we decluttered a ton of stuff!

Taking It Slow Can Combat Your Decluttering Fears

• Go at Your Own Pace
  If the process feels too impossible, take breaks and spread the work out over time. There is nothing wrong with decluttering slowly. Staying decluttered is a lifetime process. As long as you are committed to the process and consistently declutter you will get there.
  
  There is a good reason many quit before they see progress. They are not committed or consistent.
  
• Celebrate Progress
  Acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small. Each step forward is progress toward a clutter-free life.

I like to remind people that if you discard one item on a daily basis for a year you will be 365 items lighter. This is a no-stress way to achieve progress!

Let Go of Perfectionism

• Accept Imperfection
  Recognize that decluttering doesn’t have to be perfect. Focus on progress, not perfection. You have too much stuff and you need to discard some items, Decluttering is about keeping what you love and getting rid of the rest. Your efforts are not about achieving a perfectly clean or showcase home.
• Messy Environments
  When you discard lots of stuff, material possessions that you are not emotionally attached to, you will feel freedom like never before. It is also much easier to keep a decluttered tidy home clean which is why all my countertops and flat surfaces are empty.

Get rid of the doom piles. Clean surfaces throughout your home are an easy way to notice a big difference. I am talking about countertops, bathroom vanities, and tabletops- all those places where you drop something down instead of putting it in its proper place.

Cultivating New Habits Can Combat Your Decluttering Fears

• Create Systems for the Future
  Establish routines or systems to keep your space decluttered. Use the “one in, one out” rule or aim to come close. Before you bring a new item into your home discard an item.
  
  The reason we get cluttered is because we continuously bring in new things and never get rid of any stuff.
  
• Mindset Shift
  View decluttering as a r
• egular practice for less stress and mental clarity, not just a one-time fix. Knowing you can live in a clutter-free home by creating new habits is a very good feeling.

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Reflect and Reconnect with Your Why

• What is your why
  You want to declutter. Why? Answer this question. Do you want to declutter because people are talking about decluttering or is it because you are feeling discontent?
• Journal or Meditate
  Write about your fears and what you’ve learned from facing them. What is your real reason for prolonging your decluttering tasks? This can help deepen your understanding and continue the emotional work.
  
  Writing is a great tool to use to flush out all the little things that hold you back. Journaling - A Practical Way To Declutter Your Mind
  
• Reconnect to Your Values
  Reflect on how decluttering aligns with your larger goals and values. Are you trying to create a more peaceful, intentional life? Focusing on your "why" can help diminish your fears.

Facing your decluttering fears is not just about letting go of things but also about gaining clarity, peace, and control over your living space and mind. Take the process step by step, and be gentle with yourself as you navigate your decluttering journey.

Maybe it was a long time ago you wanted x, y, or z. Did you veer from the path? Are you stuck? Write about this, This practice of writing is my secret sauce to work through things.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, pick up one item today and either discard it or put it in its proper place.

Photo byMarj Bates

Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutterer and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. “Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.

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