Letting Go

Being willing and able to let go of the past is arguably the most important step to living in the present. When we live in the present, we can engage in our lives more mindfully and enjoy all the blessings that surround us.  When we are stuck in the past, we ruminate about things we can’t change and often project challenging past situations onto fears of the future. “What if that happens again?”

For survival purposes, our brains are hardwired to focus on potential threats, and we typically learn these threats from past experiences. If you are struggling with letting go, know that it is just human nature.

These are the practices I put into place, when I am working to let go of something:

• Get clear on your intention to let go of a past experience and why

  • I intend to let go of the ways that person hurt me because the pain and resentment is not serving me in any way

• Write out your current blocks to letting go

  • If something reminds me of the negative incident, I will ruminate about it for 20 minutes

  • My anger about the situation gives me a sense of righteousness that feels good

• Write out solutions to your blocks

  • When I start ruminating, I will go for a walk or watch funny reels to shift my mindset

  • I would rather release this for lasting peace vs. the momentary positive hit of self-righteousness

  • I will use positive affirmations to pull myself out of a spiral – “I am safe. I am worthy. I choose peace.”

• Use conscious emotional release practices when you feel triggered

  • Journal your frustrations, scream into a pillow, go on a walk, do yoga, feel where the emotion is in your body and breath into the tension, or anything that you know works for you.

• Accept difficult emotions

  • It’s actually a good sign when you feel sadness, anger or other challenging emotions. Your emotions are coming up to be released

  • We can’t release what we don’t feel, so sit with the difficult emotion and know that it will pass when you accept it and give it space to move through you

• Seek professional help

  • If the practices above are not providing you the emotional relief and release you are seeking, it is helpful to find a trusted guide. I recommend looking into traditional therapy, Reiki, Astrology, or hypnotherapy

Depending on the hurt and complexity, it can take time to release the past. Be patient with yourself and know that you will get there if you hold onto your intention to let go and take consistent actions.

Healing doesn’t mean erasing hurt from your memory or never thinking about it again – it means lessening the emotional charge and its impact on you. What are some ways you consciously release the past?