Note: This article is based on the blog post by Erica Layne, in which she talks about the importance of letting go of the many things that leave a memory in our lives and keeping only the few.
I also still keep some of the pieces of clothing that my children wore on the day in which I gave birth to them.
If you are surrounded by things that used to belong to someone you love or represent a certain period of your life, for example, memorabilia from your childhood, toys your children don't play with anymore, or clothes that no longer fit your lifestyle, what value can these give you? the whole thing? Does it trigger certain memories for you? Or is it part of your life?
What is habituation?
The Law of Habituation
The more you are exposed to a particular stimulus, the less you notice it.
For example, if you walked down a corridor in a commercial building and passed three fire extinguishers, you would not notice them at all. You've been through hundreds of fire extinguishers in your life, so you hardly even realize they exist anymore.
The brain was created to sustain life, so it scans your environment for things that are new and might pose a threat to you, not things that are familiar and harmless. For this reason, the things that you cannot bear to part with are hidden by everything new around you, while they do not add value to your life because you do not see them.
Less is more for your brain
By reducing the things you have as your memories, you will be able to notice and pay attention to the few pieces that are most important to you.
You can feel the wonderful texture of some of the things your mother used almost daily during your childhood; you can wear your grandmother's wedding ring very discreetly instead of leaving it unnoticed in the jewelry box; and you can smile at the things your father used to keep.
But how can this be done?
The question you might be asking now is: how? How do I reduce the number of collectibles and memorabilia?
I suggest you make an album of memories
That is, collect the distinctive pieces in your home and divide them into two or three categories, for example:
- Family heirlooms.
- Things from your life.
- Old memorabilia from your children's childhood.
Take pictures of all of these items, put them in a photo album, and if you have a lot of items, create an album for each of your categories; if not many, each category can just have a section in your photo album.
Once you have your memory album in your hands, you can easily donate, dispose of, or recycle the items in it. Be fully confident that your memories lie in the experiences or in the person, not in the thing you think they represent.
In conclusion
I hope that the law of habituation will help you to let go of the abundance of things and care more about their meaning, because in the end, the few pieces that you keep will have a greater impact on you than the many things that you previously had and constantly ignored.
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