Putting the ‘Self’ in Self-Storage
Self-Storage. What’s there to think about? Take stuff + put stuff out of sight = more space. Simple.
If you stop to think for a moment, however, you’ll realise that the psychology behind self-storage is fascinating and influenced by very common emotional, cognitive, and behavioural factors.
So why do we choose to store the belongings we don’t need right this minute, rather than just throw them away?
Obviously, in some cases, the use of self storage is very practical and straightforward – at home, we don’t use the Christmas decorations or the garden furniture all year round so it makes obvious sense to keep it somewhere safe, dry and accessible for when the appropriate season comes around.
In business or work, we need to store stock, tools, necessary files and archive materials – but what about all of those things that don’t fit into these neat categories?
Just why do we keep the stuff we keep?
Emotional Attachment and Sentimentality.
Our stuff, accumulated over a lifetime, isn’t just stuff. It can represent memories, identity and even emotional security. Beyond childhood, you’re not likely to want to play with Fred the Ted anymore, but could you bear (see what we did there?) to part with him?
Similarly heirlooms – jewellery, antique furniture, grandad’s old letters and diaries, that antique model train set – you mightn’t have space for them right now – or mightn’t even like the look of them – but they’re part of you, they represent legacy and they’ve got a huge significance when it comes to maintaining a connection between past and present – plus you’re going to want to pass them down the line someday yourself. These items of sentimental significance can be very hard to part with, and can also be valuable – you’re going to want to keep them safe.
Fear of Loss and Uncertainty
We all feel better having a little security in the face of the unexpected – we like to have a safety net, so keeping stuff that we may not want now, but may in the future, is a natural way to keep ourselves feeling safe and to prepare for what may come.
Consumerism and Materialism
Like it or not, we live in a material world. In pre-Celtic Tiger 1995, for example – consumer spending was much more modest – approximately €36.24 billion according to macrotrends.net. By contrast, consumer spending in Ireland reached €37.4 billion in Q3 2024 alone – it’s a sign of how far we’ve come as a country, and how we see ourselves post-boom.
We replace our items more frequently, often while they’re still perfectly functional or fashionable, in favour of the next thing that catches our eye – simply put, many of us have just got too much stuff and, with accommodation decreasing in size, we’ve got nowhere to put it. Also, our belongings can often convey a sense of status – it can be hard to separate oneself from things that become part of our identity. Hence self-storage as a solution, enabling us to keep our things but increase our personal space and sense of identity without having to get rid of anything.
Life Transitions
The increased personal freedom of the modern era means we’re more inclined to explore away from home, to take risks, seek new experiences and to move on from unsatisfactory and unhappy situations in search of personal fulfilment. This means more travel and moving further afield for work or education.
Life doesn’t always turn out how we plan it either, leading to unsettling times such as divorce, break ups and estrangements.
Sometimes it’s just completely out of our hands and events like bereavement can force unwanted but necessary change. At times like these, belongings – the stuff we own, the stuff we use day-to-day, and the stuff that belonged to people no longer with us – can act as an anchor, grounding us emotionally and practically. They can, however, be a burden physically.
Self storage enables us to set these items aside safely while we explore life or find solutions to big life changes plus it can help in delaying decisions until we’re ready to tackle them, or until a solution presents itself.
Sense of Control
This is the big one. In the world we live in, clutter is everywhere. And it’s not just a physical mess, it affects our moods and emotions bigtime.
It means stress, anxiety, indecisiveness and even trauma. It can be overwhelming, representing all the aspects of our busy lives we’re struggling to get on top of. It leads to chaos – a constant visual reminder of things you have yet to do, things you haven’t succeeded in doing and reminders, perhaps, of times you’d rather forget.
Psychologically, clutter can make you feel inadequate, disappointed and creatively drained – you might not have thought that the messes around your home or workspace were messing so much with your head, but humans naturally crave a sense of order to create stability and control their environment.
Hello self storage, goodbye overwhelm! Decluttering, and placing excess belongings – or those you can’t decide what to do with just yet – into self storage creates physical space, reducing visual clutter and giving yourself some space to breathe. All of this leads to an increased sense of control and of order, leading to happier and more productive lives overall.
Self storage is such a valuable tool, helping to cultivate mindfulness and providing practical support which enables us to take control of our everyday lives, thereby cultivating our mental well being.
Unlock the freedom of extra space. Get in touch with Storage World today or get a quote online.
