7 Signs Your Sentimental Items Are Weighing You Down

Note: This is a guest post from Zoë Kim of Raising Simple.

As a teenager, I lived with my grandparents in a home filled with memories. Their house was a collection of things from places and people they had known. Everything had a place and a story. It felt like home.

After I moved out and left for college, my grandfather was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. The doctors told him he had 18 months at best. News like that changes your entire perspective on life—on what we hold dear and what truly matters.

They quickly decided to downsize and move across the country, from the coast of New Hampshire to southern Arizona, where my grandfather had dreamed of living. As I look back, I realize I witnessed them spending their last years getting rid of everything they had worked so hard to collect. 

For my grandparents, decluttering and letting go of their possessions was difficult, but ultimately, they decided they’d rather downsize and sit under the warm Arizona sun and stars then sit in a house full of things.

I can still hear my grandpa’s voice in my head saying, “You can’t take it with you.”

We all have sentimental items that hold meaning—an old blanket, a china set, or a piece of jewelry passed down through generations. These things remind us of people, places, and moments that have shaped us. But sometimes, holding onto too many sentimental items feels like carrying an emotional weight, tethering us to the past and making it harder to live in the present.

Here are seven emotional signs that your sentimental items might be weighing you down:

1. You Feel Stuck in the Past

Every time you look at certain sentimental items, you might find yourself pulled back into old memories—some joyful, some painful. While it’s wonderful to reflect on the past, living there too often will be at the expense of today. If you feel like you’re constantly revisiting old chapters rather than writing new ones, your sentimental items might be keeping you emotionally stuck.

2. You’re Holding Onto Things Out of Guilt

Maybe you’ve inherited a family heirloom or gift you don’t love, but you feel guilty about letting it go. Guilt can be a heavy emotional burden. If you’re keeping things out of a sense of duty or fear of hurting someone’s memory, it’s okay to draw the boundary that you no longer want to take care of it. They aren’t living your life, you are. 

3. The Items Trigger Painful Memories

Not every sentimental item brings warm, happy feelings. Some can stir up unresolved emotions—grief, loss, heartbreak. If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, trust your intuition when decluttering items that hold their memory. Give yourself the time and space to grieve. You decide when to let those things go. 

4. Your Home Feels More Like a Storage Unit Than a Living Space

If your shelves are overflowing with things, or you’ve run out of room for the things you need today, that could be a sign that your emotional attachment to the past is overshadowing your ability to create a space for your current season of life.

5. You Feel Overwhelmed by Clutter, but Can’t Bear to Part With Anything

If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home but can’t bring yourself to let go of anything, emotional attachment is likely getting in the way of practical decisions. Asking yourself these questions can help you let go of the sentimental heavy things.

6. You’re Holding Onto an Identity That No Longer Fits

Sometimes, we keep sentimental items because they represent a version of ourselves we’re afraid to let go of. Maybe it’s clothes from a time in your life when you felt more confident, or keepsakes from a career or hobby you’ve since moved on from. Holding onto these items can keep you clinging to your fantasy self.

7. You Fear Losing the Memory If You Lose the Item

Many of us hold onto sentimental items with the fear that if we let go of the object, we’ll lose the memory of it. Often, taking a photo can work. But recently, I’ve created my own Legacy List as a real and practical way to remember the item and the story with it. It’s also a way for me to practically pass down select sentimental items to my kids in a very manageable way. 

They may still choose not to keep the item, and that’s okay, but documenting the stories behind my favorite sentimental items gives them the choice and doesn’t leave them guessing with a house full of stuff.

Letting Go to Lighten the Emotional Load

It’s hard to part with things that feel tied to our hearts and lives! It is possible to keep the memories and let go of the stuff. Letting go doesn’t mean losing the memories or disrespecting the past. It means freeing yourself from the emotional weight of holding onto too much.

***

Zoë Kim blogs at Raising Simple where she helps families simplify their home and life. She and her husband, Matt Paxton, are hosting a 3-Day Live Workshop called Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff. They both do great work. You can also find Zoë on Instagram.