Avoiding Burnout...What am I Feeling? What am I Needing?

I am tired, folks. Maybe I should not be writing about decluttering! Tomorrow will be a Hil Life Administration Day where I take care of my stuff only and steer clear of dealing w/ relatives' clutter. Yay!

Certain clutter is just harder to get through. Today I tackled letters from the 1960s and photos from the 1990s...earlier this week I was on letters from the 1940s and photos from the 60s and 70s. Don't call me a hippie, but I think these personal objects carry more "psychic energy" than old buckets and tools in the garage. It's hard to face others' mementos and decide what is worthy enough to be part of my treasure trove...What do I personally want to remember about this person? What am I willing to pack up and move somewhere else?


It's pretty amazing how many pieces of paper go into the bin...some family members might cringe at that, but honestly, my relatives seemingly never culled their own stuff, so this sweep has to be brutal. And because these are such personal items, this work is extra draining. It's an opportunity for good self-care. The popular questions are "What am I feeling? What am I needing?" I feel excited that I have time to get to the nitty-gritty personal items, but I need to back off some for a few days and rest. Yes, I have a-ways to go, but if I don't avoid burnout, it will take me that much longer to get back on the decluttering horse. (Ugh, is that an awful metaphor? I must be too tired.)


To give you an idea of what I'm looking at, here's a list:

Most photographed in grandfather's photo envelopes:
1. Family reunions
2. Cattle in pastures (If only I could make money off cow photos!)
3. Hunting excursions and dead animals
4. Landscapes


Most photographed in grandmother's photo envelopes:
1. Travel landscapes and landmarks
2. People traveling


And then of course there are the general family photo albums with regular family photos throughout. As you would suspect, the cattle, landscape, and landmark pics are easy to toss. The ones with people are tougher to judge. 


What am I needing? To get off the computer and do something relaxing. See ya!


Action tips for any declutterer: 
1, If you have photos or letters you don't love or need, consider lightening your load. It is a gift to your family to declutter these items!
2. If you are tired, listen to your mind and body! Back off.