Organizational expert Kristine Oller throws out some great advice on purging the closets of our pre-baby past.

There they sit. Taunting you. Taking up precious space in the corner of your closet or the back of a drawer. The dreaded pre-pregnancy jeans. If you're like us, your days of wearing your skinny denim are long, long gone, and the only way we'll be fitting back into our beloved blues is with a crowbar. So why is it important to finally let them go? Well, even if your pre-pregnancy stash of clothes isn't creating physical clutter in your closet or garage, it can be creating mental clutter in your heart and mind.

Here are Kristines tips for combating the "I want to keep it / I should let it go" tug-of war:

1) Shift your perspective
"Keep in mind that the stuff you own and the stuff you do is just stuff. Stuff only becomes "important stuff" because we invest it with meaning and value. We decided it is important. And if we can decide, we can also un-decide."

2) Allow yourself to fully transition
"Moms may say that those skinny jeans are a symbol of glory and, hey, if they fill your heart with joy each time you see them, by all means, keep them! However, my guess is that when you see them or think about them, the emotion they trigger is more mournful than motivating. Keeping them around the house is akin to picking at a scab or pushing a bruise; their presence is a little obstacle preventing you from having closure on the "before child" chapter of your life (and healing anything that may need to be healed)."

3) Celebrate the life you are living
"The word most often associated with my clients' pre-pregnancy clothes is "hope." As in: "I hope to fit back into these one day!" But for a mom, that seemingly positive goal can morph into a distracting desire to re-create her past self or an obsession with her more perfect future self. If each time you spot those pre-pregnancy clothes it triggers such thoughts, you are distracting yourself from focusing on the one, real, amazing, beautiful thing you actually have: the life you are living right now. The fewer things you have around you that pull you mentally and emotionally away from the joy of who you are right now, the better you'll feel. (And only when you feel positive in the present will you have the energy and enthusiasm to actually achieve your goals for the future.) "

4) Give yourself the fabulous, functional closet you deserve
"Choosing what to wear is a daily ritual of self-expression. Your closet should be a tool that aids in that process, not a black hole where Struggle and Frustration greet you at the door. If your pre-pregnancy clothes are currently wedged in, they're taking up valuable space, at the very least put them into deeper storage somewhere else. You will use and enjoy the clothes you own so much more if your eyes can glide smoothly over the selection and if your hangers have room to come in and out with ease. Keep the clothes that bring you joy and give the rest away with gratitude."

5) Remember you are a role model
"Change is a constant that we have to learn how to cope with and how to positively embrace if we truly want to reach our full potential. As a mom, you have to guide yourself through changes so you have the skill to teach your children how to do the same. Your pre-pregnancy clothes may be a potent symbol of a time of physical, external vibrancy in your life. Your challenge now is to allow your vibrancy to shine through in new ways. There is no harm in looking wistfully back at the past... just make sure that the grip of your memories is not preventing you from moving forward."

Kristine Oller is an organizational expert and career strategist and author of the new book Feeding Your Focus: How creative people can move forward faster and achieve sustained success.