Peter Walsh's Five Steps to Letting Go of Emotional Clutter

Peter Walsh's Five Steps for Letting Go of Emotional Clutter

Oprah.com | January 01, 2006

Parting with the belongings of a deceased loved one is never easy. Peter Walsh has some strategies to make letting go a little easier.

How to Free Yourself of Memory Clutter

Realize that if you let go of an item, you do not let go of that person. People do not live on through material items.
Hold on to items that only bring back positive memories, not painful ones.
If there are items that encourage you to keep up a ritual based on grief, consider letting it go and focus on the positive instead.
Make sure your space has a great representation of the past but also leaves room for you to celebrate the present and plan for the future.
Keep the items that truly represent your loved one. To help, use this three-step process:
- Step 1: Place all items in another area.
- Step 2: If you're looking to renovate a room, decide how you want to feel in that space.
- Step 3: Sort everything into three categories: charity donations, keepsakes and items for a memory chest.

Printed from Oprah.com on Monday, May 20, 2013