About 7-8 years ago I found myself knee deep in depression. At that time, I didn’t realize that I had turned to food for comfort and happiness. By the time I realized it, I had put on 50 lbs! Needless to say, none of my clothes fit me anymore.

I held on to those clothes though because I knew I was going to lose the weight and fit into all of the clothes again SOMEDAY. Since I had spent a lot of money on the clothes and some of them were relatively new, I wondered how I could just give them away?

It’s so funny that I make a living helping people let go of their things and yet I have the same tendencies to hold on to things. I think we all do. Finally about 5 years ago I decided it was time to pack them up and donate them to someone that could wear them and get some use out of them. When I was finished purging the clothes that didn’t fit me anymore I had 6-8 trash bags full of clothes to donate.

That left me with about 10 shirts and 2 pairs of pants hanging in my closet – that was all that actually fit me anymore out of all of the clothes that I had held on to for years. The day I went through the clothes and tried them on was very difficult. Every piece of clothing I tried on was a reminder of a time when I was in shape, both physically and mentally and so it was tough accepting that I no longer was. Carting all of the clothes to Goodwill was tough too.

However, once I did the work of going through the clothes and donating them, I was ELATED that I took the time to do it.

• I realized once the clothes were gone that they had been a daily reminder to myself that I was fat. Every day when I would search for something to wear, I was reminded that I was too fat to fit into anything. What a depressing way to start each and every day. Once the clothes were gone, I didn’t get that daily reminder calling me a fatso.

• I didn’t waste time searching through a bunch of clothes that no longer fit looking for something that would fit. All of the clothes hanging there were a distraction and a source of frustration every day.

• I knew exactly what I had that fit and I knew exactly what I needed to buy to complete my wardrobe.

• I was no longer in denial about my weight and therefore I felt more in control of my life and my weight.

Getting organized and purging any area of your home or office is work – both physical and mental work – but it sure is worth it once you’ve done the work!

(**July 2016 I published my first book on this very subject. Get your copy of The Truth About Clutter: Why Am I Holding on to This.)