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How to Let Go of Old Journals (and the Weight You’ve Been Carrying With Them)
I have a pretty, simple and uniquely me home office.
For months, I kept choosing to work at the kitchen table instead.
My husband teased me about it constantly, and honestly, I started to wonder the same thing he did. Why wasn’t I using the office that I had set up with lots of organization and ease?
So I did what any organizer does. I investigated. And what I found on the shelf taught me just how hard it really is to release items that are so personal to us and how to let go of old journals, and sentimental things in general.
What I found on the office shelf
I studied my bookshelves, and there it was. A stack of old journals filled with years of my life. Happy, as well as, teen-age angst memories. The amazing, yet tough years when I was chasing acting in New York. Pages of longing to find my soulmate, prayers for healing, and callings back to childhood dreams.
Years of life: joy, laughter, regret and heartache.
They were my past insecurities, sitting right there on the shelf. And now, in my 40s, something in me knew it was time to let them go.
I asked my husband what he thought. He said, “We can burn them! It will be fun!” I busted out laughing. He’s so rugged.
And then I sat on that idea for months.
Why letting go of sentimental items feels so hard
Here’s the truth. I was afraid. Afraid that if I truly let those journals go, I would lose a big part of myself. That the girl in those pages would disappear if I stopped storing the innermost secrets of my childhood self.
Maybe you know that fear. It’s the same one that whispers over a box of your own keepsakes. “What if I need it again? What if letting this go means losing part of who I am?”
So we hold on. And the weight stays, quietly, on a shelf and in our hearts.
If you’ve felt that, you’re not behind and you’re not alone. Sentimental clutter is the hardest kind precisely because it isn’t really about the stuff. It’s about who we were staring down who we’re becoming.
The night we burned them
One night, my husband and I put the journals in the fireplace that he re-designed and tiled with beautiful white marble, and we burned them together.
It was surreal. I stood there next to the man I had prayed for, for my whole life. And my entire body filled with unexplainable gratitude. Thankful for the prayers God answered. And, oddly, just as thankful for the ones He didn’t. Grateful for how He had carried me, all the way to that quiet, beautiful moment.
I said goodbye to the fun, daring, happy little girl. I said goodbye to insecure, hurt, anxiety-ridden, people-pleasing teenager in those pages. And I welcomed the adventurous, calm, confident, God-trusting woman standing at the fire.
I cried.
Now, when I walk into my office, that strange, underlying burden on my soul isn’t there anymore. I feel focused. Ready for the purposes God has laid on my heart for this season of life.
Gratitude is what finally lets you set it down
Here’s what I learned, and it’s the whole heart of this: we think letting go is ONLY about feeling the pain of a loss, which is very uncomfortable and our brains don’t want to do it.
But, it’s also about gratitude and excitement for what’s to come.
In my book, I put it this way: you may look at the pile of items you’re releasing and think, “What if I need it again?” Instead, look at all the items you’ve chosen to keep, and let gratitude sweep over you.
That’s the turn. Gratitude doesn’t count what you’re losing. It looks at everything you get to keep, and how far you’ve been carried. There’s a reason Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In all of them. The prayers answered and the ones still waiting. The chapters we’re proud of and the ones that hurt.
And there’s more to it than the feeling. The research I cite in the book is real: practicing gratitude regularly is tied to lower anxiety and depression, better sleep, and less stress. When we pause in the middle of decluttering to give thanks instead of bracing against loss, the whole process gets more peaceful. (If you want the science on how an organized home actually lowers your stress, I wrote about that here: the clutter-and-cortisol connection.)
How to let go of old journals, gently
If there’s a stack of something sentimental waiting on your shelf, here’s the grace-filled way to begin.
Start with gratitude, not the pile. Before you release a single thing, look at everything you’ve chosen to keep and let yourself feel thankful for it first.
Name what you’re really afraid of. Usually it isn’t the object. It’s the fear of losing a part of yourself or the connection with a loved one. Say it out loud.
Keep the memory, release the weight. You don’t have to keep every page to keep the person you were. You carry her with you. The journal was a way to process life, grow and connect with our faith.
Give it fifteen minutes. You can do anything for fifteen minutes. Set a timer, start with one stuck spot, and let that be enough for today.
Let someone stand with you. I burned my journals next to my husband. Hard releases are easier when you’re not alone, whether that’s a spouse, a friend, or a quiet prayer.
This is the Release step of my G.R.A.C.E. Method, and gratitude is woven through all of it. If you’d like a gentler, calmer path through the rest of your home, that’s exactly what I help busy moms do, in my book. Grab your copy today!
If you’d love a calm pair of hands in your own home, I offer in-person and virtual 1:1 organizing sessions. Book a free discovery call and let’s make a plan together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you let go of sentimental items without the guilt?
Start with gratitude before you start with the pile. Look at everything you’ve chosen to keep and let yourself feel thankful for it first. When you lead with thanks instead of fear, releasing the rest feels less like loss and more like making room for the life you have now.
What is the G.R.A.C.E. Method?
It’s my simple five-step organizing method: Gather, Release, Acquire, Cultivate, and Enjoy. It walks you through why clutter keeps you stuck and how to reclaim your home, and your heart, one room at a time. Gratitude runs through the whole thing, especially the Release step, where fear usually shows up.
Does gratitude actually help with organizing?
Yes, and it’s in the research, not just the feeling. Practicing gratitude regularly is tied to lower anxiety, better sleep, and less stress. When you pause to give thanks in the middle of decluttering instead of bracing against loss, the whole process gets calmer and more peaceful, which makes it far easier to keep going.
What if I’m too overwhelmed to even start?
Then don’t start with everything. Start with one stuck spot, set a timer for fifteen minutes, and give thanks for one thing before you touch the rest. You can do anything for fifteen minutes. If you’d like a pair of hands and a calm plan for your own home, I offer 1:1 with me, in person or virtual, and I’d love to help.
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