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Are you guilty of hoarding sentimental clutter? Do you cling to every vacation souvenir or every gift from a family member, friend, or lover like it is a priceless artifact? Do you feel like you are obligated to hang onto every item you own that has any sort of emotional value?

Purging sentimental clutter is notoriously difficult. For that reason, it isn’t something you should really feel “guilty” about—though a lot of people do. So you shouldn’t feel pressured to get rid of it all.

If eliminating sentimental clutter is one of your goals, however, you should go for it. Here are some tips to help you succeed.

1. Don’t try to get rid of sentimental items if you are in mourning.

Whether you are struggling in the aftermath of an actual death or a figurative one (like the death of a relationship), that is not always the right time to try and unload sentimental clutter.

It takes time to work through the stages of grief. If you try and get rid of sentimental items too early in that process, you might actually disrupt what you are trying to do. That can make the grieving process itself even harder—and after that, you will have a really hard time getting rid of any additional clutter.

So wait a while if you need to. Once you begin to accept and recover, you may even discover the items do not mean as much to you as they used to. At that point, parting with them can be easy. In fact, in some cases, you might actually find that you want to get rid of the same possessions you couldn’t let go of a few months ago.

2. Do not try to get rid of too many items all at once.

It is emotionally fatiguing to get rid of sentimental clutter. Because that process is so draining, it will eat into your willpower. So if you try and do a whole lot at one time, you will find it progressively more difficult. Past a certain point, it may even start to feel like it is impossible.

If you are struggling in this manner, just deal with one object at a time. Whether that means you only declutter one item a day or one item a week isn’t important. If you are making progress without regret, you are doing great. There is no rush to the finish line here.

3. If all that worries you is losing memories, take a photograph.

Holding onto objects which remind you of special times, but don’t care about the objects themselves so much? Take photos and store them digitally. You can look at the photographs to refresh your memory of significant events while freeing up the space you need.

You now have a few recommendations for how to get rid of sentimental possessions. Still need more help? Read on to What Can You Do With Sentimental Clutter? Part 2 for more great suggestions.