To Torch or Not to Torch? 5 Ways to Deal With Mementos Post-Break Up

The relationship ended. You never imagined that you would be here. You stand in your place full of memories, looking at all the little reminders of the person with whom you thought you had a promising future. What do you do with the mementos, the gifts, the personal things that are left behind?

At Relationup, an app that provides 24/7 live relationship advice from professionals via chat, we were curious about how people handled the keepsakes they accumulated during their relationships after they had fizzled. We conducted a survey and discovered that 56% of people (70% women; 33% men) kept mementos from a past relationship(s).

Our data also revealed that there were 5 common ways people dealt with their keepsakes in the aftermath of their relationship.

They held onto a few unique gifts they loved. This group described keeping unique items (e.g. jewelry, vintage jazz shirt, sweatshirts, teddy bear) because they loved them and didn't want to part with them--regardless of who gave it to them or the circumstances surrounding the ending of the relationship. One man commented, "I loved that t-shirt so much that there was no way that I was going to throw it out".

They kept things about which they were sentimental. This group hung onto items (e.g. plush dog, ticket stubs, airline boarding pass, mementos from travel) because they represented meaningful and significant experiences. Some kept things that represented the relationship ("my first love," "the first time time my hea...

Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - May 18, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news