A new season means new beginnings, and there’s no better way to start something new than with a clean slate. One of my favorite ways to welcome the fall season is by cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. There’s something magical about opening a closet, a cabinet, or your garage without fearing that a mountain of unused items will fall on you.

While decluttering is great, it often comes with a side of guilt. Feeling guilty for getting rid of things that you paid too much for, didn’t use enough, or were gifted to you from someone special. All those points are valid, but it’s also important to get out of those thoughts that hold us back and into bigger thinking that can help us propel forward.

Below are three tips to declutter your home without guilt, or, at least less of it.

Think of the benefits

Before you even begin going through your pile of unused items, spend some time thinking about why you want to do this in the first place. Is it to make space for your new craft station or do you simply want to declutter so you can feel a sense of peace in your home? There are countless benefits to decluttering, so think of the reasons that matter to you and keep those in mind when you’re going through a guilt slump.

Practice gratitude

If you’ve ever watched the Netflix hit show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, you’ll know that one of the key steps to getting rid of items is to thank each item for the purpose it served us. Now, this isn’t a one-time thing at the end of the process, you should thank each item as you decide that it no longer suits you.

I love this idea because I do think that gratitude is an essential part of being happy in life. When you begin to feel down and guilty during the process, just think of how lucky you are to have once enjoyed that piece.

Envision its next life

When thinking of decluttering, stop thinking of trash, and, instead, think of donating or reselling. While many people dump most items they no longer use because they think it’s reached the end of its life, I’m here to remind you it has likely not. That old desk you think is outdated can serve a college student moving into their new dorm. Your stained couch can be easily cleaned by a family moving into their first apartment. The clothes you think are out of style will be appreciates by the person that purchased them on the reselling app.

Nothing makes me feel less guilty about decluttering than thinking about my unused items being put to good use by someone else. You should try it, it’s life-changing.