YOUR cupboards are spilling over. You know you've got to junk some of the stuff to make room for new ones.

But when you get down to it, it is a painful task. You cannot part with the skirt you wore on your first date with your husband, even though you can no longer fit into it. And how can you throw out the shoes you bought at last year's Great Singapore Sale when you've worn them only once?

"There are a few reasons people find it hard to throw old stuff away," says Dr Adrian Wang, consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre.

"Firstly, many people attach sentimental feelings to old things. Secondly, we find it hard to throw things away that we feel we haven't gotten our money's worth from.

"Thirdly, we don't throw things away because we keep thinking we'll find some use for the item."

He has some advice for people going through an exercise of paring down their belongings:

"You have to be brutal sometimes and confront your sentimental hang-ups. For clothes, if you haven't worn an item for more than a year, then it's time for it to go.

"For other items, ask yourself how likely it is that you would use it. If you have to think really hard for good reasons, then it would probably be better to discard it.

"If you feel it's a waste to throw things away, donate them to the less fortunate instead."

You take a deep breath and dive in. After hours of contemplative work, you build up a sizeable pile to discard.

Now sort out the stuff that is still useable, stuff that is past saving but can be recycled, and finally, the stuff that's fit only for the rubbish bin.

It is worth going through this ritual instead of dumping the whole lot as garbage.

After all, one person's junk may be another person's treasure.