How to Let Go: 5 Essential Tips
Everybody’s got a past. The past does not equal the future unless you live there. – Tony Roberts
We like to have things, we collect stuff we like (I have a thing for Garfield and ladybug items), we keep random things that remind us of important people or times in our life: a ticket for a movie, a postcard from a place we visited; parents keep their kid’s first tooth, first pair of shoes, you name it, we hold on to these things because they make us feel good anytime we see them, it takes us back to a time when we felt special, important, loved, secure.
But why do we hold on to things that make us feel exactly the opposite? We keep resentments, false hopes, insecurities, and a whole lot of emotional baggage that doesn’t let us move forward. The world is changing, our lifestyles change, people around us come and go. We change jobs, move to a new city; engage in new activities, and most of the time we find it hard to move from one known situation to a new one. And that is perfectly normal, but in the end we have to learn TO LET THINGS GO.
Easier said than done, I know, I know; how can we do it?
KEEP IT REAL
Think of all what happened in a realistic way, remove the rainbows, butterflies and unicorns, stop idealizing things and people, accept things as they are, be thankful for the good times AND FOR THE BAD TIMES TOO! Because those struggles made you the person you are right now. Once you do that, it will be a lot easier to move on.
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE
There are many things we can not change, true, you can sit and cry about it or try new ways to deal with the situation, if after that you are still not able to change it… change your path to the things you can change, use your time and energy on that and a world of possibilities will open up before you.
PUT SOME DISTANCE
Take a step back from people and/or thing that are troubling you. It will give you a new perspective you will see things with a fresh mind and a new approach.
GET IN CONTROL
It is your life wee are talking about, don’t let others decide for you. Stop blaming others for your actions, they might have had some part of responsibility, but it is not up to you to change or judge them. Make sure all the decisions in your life come from you; after all you are the one who is going to deal with the consequences.
ENJOY EACH DAY
Ok, so far, you already removed the negative/damaging/stressful/unwanted things from your life and I assume you want to stay that way right? Well, the next step is to avoid doing it all over again, and for that try to live on a day-to-day basis: Focus on today, and by the end of the day before going to sleep make a mental note of your success and congratulate yourself for it… and for the “not so successful” events, you can try what we did with a good friend for a while (hey, if you are reading this… we have to start doing this again!) we call it the 5 Minute-Complain: think of something that went wrong, or made you angry or upset, and spend 5 minutes no more, no less talking about it, just take it out of your system that way it won’t go with you to the next day, it is already on the past.
There is a quote I read and liked:
YESTERDAY IS HISTORY. TOMORROW IS A MYSTERY. TODAY IS A GIFT… THAT IS WHY IS CALLED THE PRESENT”
I am sure you can come with many more ideas for letting things go, or share the ways you have used in the past for doing so. Share them with us! Leave your comment below.
