Why is holding on to things comfortable for people?

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I am watching a show called Clean House and often people say that keeping things “reminds them of a loved one”. I understand that people want to hold onto things they are used to, but at some point it gets more than a little silly.

I have seen people in my life hold onto things with the idea that they can fix it, sell it, or give it to someone. The funny thing is that they never do it. You know the more that I watch these kinds of shows (Hoarders) the more I see they are using junk as a proxy for their own unresolved emotions. I am not a therapist, but it seems clear that if you have an issue it seems more painful to avoid that issue than to tackle it head-on.

I just find mysterious how people make decisions. When someone has something in their life that is so painful, why wouldn’t you be motivated to fix it? I can understand that people feel frustrated, give up, or have low self-esteem. I get that. However at some point, you have to say to yourself that anything else must be better than the way things are at that point. That is the reasoning that I used to investigate the possibility that there might be another way to heal the allergies that I had at that point. I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t anything I could do other than take drugs. There is nothing wrong with drugs. I just tend to be sensitive and feel better avoiding them. So I looked and found NMT and now for the last ten years my life has been incredibly different. It has been wonderful.

I like watching these kind of shows that show people dealing with their issues and growing as people. To me, that is the point of life. You grow and become more than you used to be by doing what is sometimes difficult and uncomfortable. I have the most respect for those people who acknowledge their weaknesses and grow.

Why is holding on to things comfortable for people?

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