Closet Case

I was out to dinner recently with a few friends, and we got into a conversation about what we had lurking in our closets.

From sparkly, see-through disco tops to

Sergio Valente

jeans that haven’t fit in decades, we all had something to confess — hangers full of clothing that never saw the light of day. But why? What was behind our wardrobe-clinging habits?

As a simplification expert and consultant, I’ve been in and out of enough closets to know just how common a condition this is. Generally speaking, it stems from a tendency to attach emotional significance to objects we own.

“Holding on to unused, outdated stuff has to do with a connection with a former self or time in life,” says April Benson, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in compulsive buying disorder. “Parting with those things forces the person to face the sometimes unpleasant reality that time has marched on.”

In my case, the low point came when I tried to squeeze my 40-year-old body into my high school cheerleading skirt. Indeed, it was clear that much had changed since 1985, including my waistline. Once I admitted this out loud, I was able to let it go.

The reasons behind clinging behaviors vary as much as the clothing itself. No matter how many of the following closet cases hit home, remember that the ultimate goal isn’t to toss every beloved thing from your closet. It’s to understand why you’re clinging, and then to adopt a strategy for moving on. That way, you make room for the life you are living right now.