u/Full-Artist-9967

Hi All, I really want to start getting rid of the excess in my house before I get any older.

I’m not a hoarder but I’ve accumulated so much sentimental things - inherited jewelry and family items, dish ware. Then there’s just the random things that I might want or need - realistically but could be five years from now.

The sentimental items are the hardest. And jewelry is hard. I don’t have the patience to resell but what do you do with the not cheap but not diamonds stuff? Just donate to goodwill?

Any tips would be so appreciated. This is hard.

Thank you all. These are the tips/comments that have me feeling hopeful:

1. Donate to a good cause.
2. Hire a pro organizer, estate sales agent or a resale person who genuinely needs the money
3. You will forget you ever had the things within a week of donating
4. Yes, you might occasionally wish you’d kept an item but it’s okay.
5. Gift jewelry to random lovely people you know.
6. Sell things at a low price on marketplace rather putting them on buy nothing to avoid resellers.
7. Start small - momentum builds.
8. It will feel so good!!

Im about to turn 63. The last 5 years or so have been one set back after another. I’ve always been very active - weightlifting, cycling etc. Now I’m a shell of myself.

My marriage ended after I discovered his secret life. I filed for divorce, hired a personal trainer, therapist etc and went at healing as a full time job. Felt physically great and eventually mentally great too.

Then I kept getting Covid - twice a year for a few years. Then long Covid. New autoimmune stuff - POTS and asthma. Every time I’d start to come out of the hole, I’d get sick again.

Thankfully, my immune system seems stronger now. No new infections in well over a year. Managing my auto immune stuff, walking every day, but I’ve lost so I much strength and endurance and flexibility and they don’t seem to be coming back. I feel almost frail. Now, I tweaked my back, so had to stop stretching and lifting for the past 2 weeks and counting. I’m still able to walk at a slow pace.

Has anyone come back after years of setbacks and deconditioning? I could really use some happy stories like that right now.