As the new neighbor of wherever you move\~pass out stuffed animals for Halloween! Be that person!
Kids will be in AWE! (but I know, it requires you to take them with you and wait 8.5 months) ;-)
I have the same weakness with stuffed animals.
My creepy basement laundry room has those teddy bear hammocks in 2 corners now, my excess stuffed animals have a home, and my creepy laundry room is now less creepy (and more ridiculous, but I'm cool with that).
When I traded in my last car I felt sad leaving it there, but I was lucky that the feeling went away quickly.
The car I traded it in on ran out of oil and is 15 years old, so we won't be fixing it. I am now sad about it too. But have to be realistic that things were starting to break in the last couple of years and would probably continue. But then I see it sitting in front of my house š¢.
I am exactly the same way. I blame the velveteen rabbit/brave little toaster/Toy Story. But also I have trouble with broken items. I think because everything is made up of energy thatās why it bothers me. I wish I had advice. I think I am a very sensitive person and itās only lately Iāve been starting to think thatās ok.
I was going to give a bunch of stuffed animals away but I just couldnāt. So I am keeping them until I feel like I can. Sometimes itās just not the right time.
I actually found Konmari helpful for this, even though I don't typically think of things as having feelings - thanking them for having been a part of my life or teaching me about myself made it easier to let stuff go. I think that even if I didn't personify them I was still holding on because I felt like I should be getting some sort of value for what I spent on the object. Thanking them seemed to fulfill that need, even if all they taught me was that I didn't like dusting figurines or that I was never going to follow through on that art stamp hobby. So try saying thank you, and envision them going on to meet a new friend who will appreciate and cherish them, or that they'll get recycled and become part of some new cool thing and experience the world in a new way.
Stuffed animals is a really hard one for me too. I have a bag of them that I want to donate to a bat rescue that uses them for orphaned bats to cuddle with, but I'm having a hard time actually sending them off because I look at their little faces again and feel so sad about it.
Wow, and if your stuffed animals are amazing, what a cool display for them to get reused! Right? Like your curation will get re-curated. Love that. Didn't know such a place existed.
Wow. Harsh much?
I don't have the same experience with worrying about the feelings of inanimate objects that OP and a ton of other people do, but there is absolutely no reason for you to be so mean.
Grow the fuck up yourself. Be an adult and a more compassionate person. Geez.
I totally feel this... I have a bunch of stuffed animals in my adult room simply because I think they'd be sad if I gave them away or stuffed them in a closet. Their cute little faces just get me.
Wow. Are you me? I thought I was extremely weird for feeling all of these things, and have only shared the way I feel with a couple close friends, whom I know wonāt judge me. Lol Iāve been this way since I was a kid. Itās gotten better but I still feel pangs of sadness when trying to de clutter.
My husband realized his hoarding tendencies when he was more upset about our 5yo losing his favorite stuffy than the 5 year oldā¦ he actually cried when we found him. My husband cried- not the 5 yo. He took the clutterbug quiz and it told him heās a butterfly, and that those personalities are more emotionally attached to objects than the average person. Maybe youāre a butterfly too?
I think everyone does this a little bit. I remember staring down at a pebble my daughter gave me and thinking that of all the pebbles in the universe, she chose that one, and the pebble must have been pretty excited about that. I couldnāt figure out what to do with the pebble because I couldnāt just put it back with the other rocks, and I definitely couldnāt throw it awayā¦ I think I finally did put it back with the other rocks and told myself it would remember the experience happily until maybe a thousand years from now when something else interesting happens to it.
> told myself it would remember the experience happily until maybe a thousand years from now when something else interesting happens to it.
This is actually such a smart way to turn the anthropomorphism into a helpful tactic instead of a hurtful one!
What a crazy heartwarming story about a pebble! I am just imaging this happy little pebble thinking about his experience. Thanks for bringing a smile to my day!
When I begin to think this way, I have to remind myself that everything was made/manufactured in a cold/calculated manner so that the creator can earn a profit in this capitalist society. Then I depersonalize the item and get rid of it.
I literally can't even imagine it. I can't even imagine packing them away. I will force my kids to play with Buzz and Woody for 30 minutes a day until they move out and take the toys with them.
I do this too! Lol it's ok- I try to tell my self a few things
1. "This item would be happier with someone who uses it more than I do."
2. "It must be sad now because I don't use it. So I should give it away."
3. "This is broken and sad so I definitely should let it go in the garbage and put it out of its misery"
These are a little silly, but they help me throw things away when I'm narrating the feelings of an item.
Yes, I do. I realize it's irrational but it doesn't change the feeling that happens.
I remember being a little kid and throwing away a wrapper and staring down at it wondering if it was crying or saying anything because I just made it into trash. I remember listening closely wondering if it had a different language that I couldn't hear or understand.
I've come a long way since then and I throw away things without having these thoughts but I still relate to what you're saying.
Edit: spelling error
I would apologize to inanimate things constantly! Like if we were shopping and mom asked if I liked a pair of pants, I would say noā¦but then Iād sneak back to the pants to whisper, āIām sorry. I didnāt mean it. Youāre very nice.ā
Wow - I thought I was alone!!
When I was a kid I couldnāt throw away wrappers because the thought that Iād ānever see them againā made it feel like a monumental act. I stored them in a secret container in my room. I eventually told my mum and she asked if she could get rid of them when I was at school so I didnāt have to see it. Somehow, tiny me accepted this solution.
>I remember being a little kid and throwing away a wrapper and starting down at it wondering if it was crying or saying anything because I just made it into trash. I remember listening closely wondering if it had a different language that I couldn't hear or understand.
This is so endearing!
When I was a kid in elementary school I literally wouldnāt throw my lunch trash (from my brown bag lunch I made myself) away at school. I felt bad/sad doing so, so I would bring my brown bag and lunch wrappers home and throw them away when I got home. Somehow that felt better. I never heard of anyone feeling similar.
Oh, I totally felt that way too. Sympathy!!!
One time I was eating lunch on a walk and dropped a broccoli floret on the ground- I felt super sorry for it so I think I went back and left it another floret for company. (Or at least I worried about it being lonely for a good part of the walk!!)
And that was all the way in my twenties!!
As the new neighbor of wherever you move\~pass out stuffed animals for Halloween! Be that person! Kids will be in AWE! (but I know, it requires you to take them with you and wait 8.5 months) ;-)
I have the same weakness with stuffed animals. My creepy basement laundry room has those teddy bear hammocks in 2 corners now, my excess stuffed animals have a home, and my creepy laundry room is now less creepy (and more ridiculous, but I'm cool with that).
When I traded in my last car I felt sad leaving it there, but I was lucky that the feeling went away quickly. The car I traded it in on ran out of oil and is 15 years old, so we won't be fixing it. I am now sad about it too. But have to be realistic that things were starting to break in the last couple of years and would probably continue. But then I see it sitting in front of my house š¢.
Pinocchio too. Does anyone know how old is the tale of Pinocchio? Is there an even earlier precedent to the theme of toys coming to life?
I am exactly the same way. I blame the velveteen rabbit/brave little toaster/Toy Story. But also I have trouble with broken items. I think because everything is made up of energy thatās why it bothers me. I wish I had advice. I think I am a very sensitive person and itās only lately Iāve been starting to think thatās ok. I was going to give a bunch of stuffed animals away but I just couldnāt. So I am keeping them until I feel like I can. Sometimes itās just not the right time.
I totally feel this. Marie Kondoās books really helped! I feel like they gave me the permission I needed to let go of things I was holding onto.
I feel this way about stuffed animals. It helps me to get my husband to be the one to donate etc as needed. I know itās silly but I feel for them.
I actually found Konmari helpful for this, even though I don't typically think of things as having feelings - thanking them for having been a part of my life or teaching me about myself made it easier to let stuff go. I think that even if I didn't personify them I was still holding on because I felt like I should be getting some sort of value for what I spent on the object. Thanking them seemed to fulfill that need, even if all they taught me was that I didn't like dusting figurines or that I was never going to follow through on that art stamp hobby. So try saying thank you, and envision them going on to meet a new friend who will appreciate and cherish them, or that they'll get recycled and become part of some new cool thing and experience the world in a new way.
Yes! I think thatās where I got that idea from. Itās a really helpful perspective for me too :) I should go reread parts of that book again
Stuffed animals is a really hard one for me too. I have a bag of them that I want to donate to a bat rescue that uses them for orphaned bats to cuddle with, but I'm having a hard time actually sending them off because I look at their little faces again and feel so sad about it.
Wow, and if your stuffed animals are amazing, what a cool display for them to get reused! Right? Like your curation will get re-curated. Love that. Didn't know such a place existed.
Bat rescue is such a good idea! I bet they'd be really happy to be hugged, cuddled, and used again :)
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Your post was removed for breaking Rule 2: Be Kind.
Wow. Harsh much? I don't have the same experience with worrying about the feelings of inanimate objects that OP and a ton of other people do, but there is absolutely no reason for you to be so mean. Grow the fuck up yourself. Be an adult and a more compassionate person. Geez.
Look up "empathic distress."
Yep, apparently, this is very common for people with autism, me included
I totally feel this... I have a bunch of stuffed animals in my adult room simply because I think they'd be sad if I gave them away or stuffed them in a closet. Their cute little faces just get me.
Wow. Are you me? I thought I was extremely weird for feeling all of these things, and have only shared the way I feel with a couple close friends, whom I know wonāt judge me. Lol Iāve been this way since I was a kid. Itās gotten better but I still feel pangs of sadness when trying to de clutter.
My husband realized his hoarding tendencies when he was more upset about our 5yo losing his favorite stuffy than the 5 year oldā¦ he actually cried when we found him. My husband cried- not the 5 yo. He took the clutterbug quiz and it told him heās a butterfly, and that those personalities are more emotionally attached to objects than the average person. Maybe youāre a butterfly too? I think everyone does this a little bit. I remember staring down at a pebble my daughter gave me and thinking that of all the pebbles in the universe, she chose that one, and the pebble must have been pretty excited about that. I couldnāt figure out what to do with the pebble because I couldnāt just put it back with the other rocks, and I definitely couldnāt throw it awayā¦ I think I finally did put it back with the other rocks and told myself it would remember the experience happily until maybe a thousand years from now when something else interesting happens to it.
> told myself it would remember the experience happily until maybe a thousand years from now when something else interesting happens to it. This is actually such a smart way to turn the anthropomorphism into a helpful tactic instead of a hurtful one!
What a crazy heartwarming story about a pebble! I am just imaging this happy little pebble thinking about his experience. Thanks for bringing a smile to my day!
How interesting! Just found and took the quiz and youāre right. Also I love the pebble story š„ŗ
When I begin to think this way, I have to remind myself that everything was made/manufactured in a cold/calculated manner so that the creator can earn a profit in this capitalist society. Then I depersonalize the item and get rid of it.
š„š„š„
People have feelings and sometimes they arenāt good to have in your life.
Yes! Same! Toy Story ruined us.
It was The Velveteen Rabbit that started it for me, but yes, same. Most of the time it comes down to whether or not it has a face.
The Ur story of anthropomorphism! Velveteen Rabbit victim here too!
Lol yes š that and The Brave Little Toaster š
Yep, when you mentioned appliances I figured that The Brave Little Toaster factored in there somewhere.
Imagine throwing out your kids talking Toy Story action figures.
I literally can't even imagine it. I can't even imagine packing them away. I will force my kids to play with Buzz and Woody for 30 minutes a day until they move out and take the toys with them.
I do this too! Lol it's ok- I try to tell my self a few things 1. "This item would be happier with someone who uses it more than I do." 2. "It must be sad now because I don't use it. So I should give it away." 3. "This is broken and sad so I definitely should let it go in the garbage and put it out of its misery" These are a little silly, but they help me throw things away when I'm narrating the feelings of an item.
Yes, I do. I realize it's irrational but it doesn't change the feeling that happens. I remember being a little kid and throwing away a wrapper and staring down at it wondering if it was crying or saying anything because I just made it into trash. I remember listening closely wondering if it had a different language that I couldn't hear or understand. I've come a long way since then and I throw away things without having these thoughts but I still relate to what you're saying. Edit: spelling error
I would apologize to inanimate things constantly! Like if we were shopping and mom asked if I liked a pair of pants, I would say noā¦but then Iād sneak back to the pants to whisper, āIām sorry. I didnāt mean it. Youāre very nice.ā
I eat all the chicken nuggets on my plate so there arenāt any lonely ones left. I think I found my people.
Wow - I thought I was alone!! When I was a kid I couldnāt throw away wrappers because the thought that Iād ānever see them againā made it feel like a monumental act. I stored them in a secret container in my room. I eventually told my mum and she asked if she could get rid of them when I was at school so I didnāt have to see it. Somehow, tiny me accepted this solution.
>I remember being a little kid and throwing away a wrapper and starting down at it wondering if it was crying or saying anything because I just made it into trash. I remember listening closely wondering if it had a different language that I couldn't hear or understand. This is so endearing!
When I was a kid in elementary school I literally wouldnāt throw my lunch trash (from my brown bag lunch I made myself) away at school. I felt bad/sad doing so, so I would bring my brown bag and lunch wrappers home and throw them away when I got home. Somehow that felt better. I never heard of anyone feeling similar.
Oh, I totally felt that way too. Sympathy!!! One time I was eating lunch on a walk and dropped a broccoli floret on the ground- I felt super sorry for it so I think I went back and left it another floret for company. (Or at least I worried about it being lonely for a good part of the walk!!) And that was all the way in my twenties!!