Why Do We Hold On To Old Clothes That Don’t Fit Who We Are Now?
The Letting-Go Practice I Tried
So here’s what I did yesterday.
I already had a pile of clothes in my office ready for donation – things Trevor outgrew.
I dug my old shorts out of the back of the closet – some are actually 15 years old! – and I added them to the donation pile.
I’ll be honest: it took some willpower!
My brain kept arguing, “but you WILL fit into these again someday … and when that day arrives, you can slip into these shorts and finally be happy and confident again.”
I had to override those thoughts and remember that fitting into old shorts will never be the permission slip I’ve been waiting for to feel okay with myself.
Here’s What I Learned From The Letting-Go Practice
When I suddenly realize I’ve been doing something that’s actually all wrong for me, I’ve found there’s one thing that can help create lasting change:
Take a deliberate, physical action in the new direction. It can be something really small, but it should be something that changes your physical surroundings.
Donating old clothes is a way to show yourself (and the world) that you’ve changed your outlook.
It’s a way to put into practice that you’re no longer valuing the size on your jeans tag over your own peace of mind.
After trying it myself, I recommend going through your old clothes and donating everything that doesn’t fit your right-here-right-now body.
It’s a freeing feeling to show yourself that you don’t place any value in what doesn’t mean anything and what doesn’t matter.
Now that I’ve cleared out my old clothes, I can more easily let go of the thought that I need to fit into a certain size in order to allow myself happiness.
Here’s the message that the letting-go practice sends:
Old clothes don’t define your worth. You do.
Hi my name is Carol I want to thank you for this message I truly needed it at this time , I’ve been doing the same thing slowly but surely letting go of all the clothes I can no longer get into,and do u know what’s funny I wasn’t satisfied at the smaller size I was still say if only. So thank you again I’m truly valuing me right now.
Author
Hi Carol, it’s so true. When we set up specific rules for when we’ll finally approve of ourselves or allow ourselves happiness … we never seem to get there, no matter what! Thanks so much for your note❤️