Why You Should Resist the Urge to Clean Out Your Closet
Getting rid of things can trigger some self-defeating impulses
Four years ago, Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying shook a never-ending cycle of consumption to its core. All of a sudden, it seemed like everyone was taking to their closets to suss out the joy sparked by every T-shirt and pair of shoes, mercilessly culling items that weren’t up to snuff.
While the internet is overflowing with advice from people who were apparently able to effortlessly part with half of their worldly possessions, there’s surprisingly less discussion about what happens next. Even though finally getting rid of old jeans and ill-fitting sweaters can feel incredibly liberating, the days and weeks right after a major clean-out can also be a vulnerable time, both financially and emotionally.
More specifically, this can be a time of regret and rebounding. Caught up in the desire to simplify, many people find themselves throwing out things they later miss — or feeling compelled to toss items they still like in order to make room for new ones. We may have a cultural obsession with decluttering, but in practice, it hasn’t replaced the obsession with buying more. Instead, it’s quietly enabled it, creating more opportunities for us to chase the psychological reward that comes…
