When Letting Go is Self Care (Here’s what to let go of, and why)

Nothing is more healing for the spirit, mind, and body, than to let go of what no longer serves you. “Letting go” is one of the most impactful forms of self-care you can practice. So -what to keep? What to get rid of? Here are some helpful things to consider.

There are so many things in our lives to be savored and cherished. We know them well by how they make us feel…

There are treasures we hold onto that fill us with love as we gaze upon them. There are relationships that fill us with joy when we share moments, leaving us full until the next sweet moment. There are principles that we live by that help us to feel whole and connected to the divine. There are memories that bring us joy and we love to share.

Treasures like these carry the energy of love and help you to connect to your true essence.

Then there are things that cause us to feel weighted down, constricted in our body, and chaotic in our minds. Often, we don’t even realize that these “things” are causing us chronic discomfort and dis-ease in our body. These are the things we don’t really like to look at. They are there, but we look beyond them or pretend they aren’t there because, when we look too closely it feels uncomfortable.

To be able to discern what serves you, versus what doesn’t, it is important to know what it is like to truly feel good. Seems obvious, right? Yet many people have been stuck feeling not so good in their bodies and “tolerating” life, that feeling “good” feels foreign.

Feeling good…

We all have a place we go, whether in our minds, with a loved one, with a good book, or to an actual location. And in this place, we lose ourselves. We are relaxed, content, and feel expanded in our being. Whole. If that is not a familiar feeling for you anywhere, I suggest getting out in nature and just tuning into the sound of the birds. Observe the trees or trickling water until you feel a calm resonance in your body. Contentment.

Even just looking at an image like this can bring a sense of peace in the body.

When you begin to understand the feeling of contentment in your body, you can begin to distinguish it from feeling uncomfortable, restricted and confined in your body. How something makes you feel is an easy way to determine what no longer serves you, so you can create space for what may. Or simply, create space…

Let Go of Stuff - Declutter

When you walk into your home, how do you really feel? Is there a room in your house or a drawer or a closet that causes you to feel overwhelmed? Is there a space you tend to avoid? If so, then it is time to clear it out and let go of what does not bring you joy. Nothing is more healing for the spirit, mind, and body than to let go of what no longer serves you.

Just last night I walked into my bathroom and gazed once again at this plant on my counter. This plant has stopped looking great. It is leggy and seems to always be leaning on my towel rack. I’ve looked at this for months now with dis-ease, but then just looked away.

This time, I lifted it up and took it to another room and found a window spot for it. Then I went back into my bathroom and felt myself take a deeper breath with this now clear counter space.

I’ve been back in that room several times since and I feel expanded when I walk into it. Content. And the plant is way happier in its new home too! Sometimes you don’t realize how much impact a space has on your energy body, until you declutter it!

Clear a space in your home. Clear out a closet. Get rid of some things that you don’t use and free up space. The space that you free up isn’t only that room, but in your body as well. Notice when you walk into a clutter free space it feels relaxing. Your body can release tension and be more present. Strive to create spaces like this more often in your life.

That’s just stuff. But look at how it feels.

Let Go of Toxic Relationships

The same can be said for the people in our lives. For instance, there is someone I’ve known a long time now and though I see them only very rarely, when I do, I feel a bit tense in my body. I could say that they trigger me, I could say that I trigger them. But in truth, energetically we simply do not align anymore.

This is one relationship where I know I am better off letting go completely. If you walk away from interactions with someone feeling constricted rather than expanded, it’s time to let it go, or at minimum take some time away from, to reassess.

Now if that happens to be someone in your family that you can’t cut off, like your moody teenager, then it is better for you to work on finding your peace amid their presence.

That is all about self-care, and another topic!

For some people in your life, it isn’t even necessary to continue a relationship. It’s okay, and a form of self-care, to let go those who create chaos and discomfort in your life. Remember, it isn’t personal, it’s self-preservation.

Hold on to what feels good, let go of what doesn’t.

Let Go of Victim Stories

If you are clinging to a story where you were victimized or even slighted, let it go. Every time you retell a story about something that made you feel bad; you are putting yourself through it all over again.

Tell your story once or twice to those who care and support you or a counselor. Write it in a journal to help you process. Stop retelling it to people for attention, gossip, or just conversation. Don’t cling to it.

 By Law of Attraction, you attract the energy that you are putting out. If you are continuously reliving a victim story in your mind or with others, you are bound to create another “validating” victim story into your life. Let it go.

Other Things To Consider Letting Go of

Even something as simple as having memberships unused, particularly gym memberships can be damaging. When it comes to a gym membership that you fail to use, every time the bill comes, not only do you feel bad that you are still paying for it, but that you aren’t “working out”. I risk saying this, since I sell memberships. But if it isn’t filling you up, if it makes you feel worse than better, then it’s okay. Let it go.

Also consider books you’ll never read, subscriptions, half-finished crafts or projects that no longer call to you, let them go. Anything that provokes the thought of failure in your mind, let go. Desires change, and you may not finish everything you once decided to do, and that’s okay! Don’t berate yourself over undone things.

This “letting go” can be overwhelming to the ego mind. It can really get defensive about holding onto stuff. Attachments cause a feeling of familiar, albeit dysfunctional, comfortability. Letting go of anything can take time, so do so with grace. Start with a small space.

The more we let go of what no longer serves us, the more we free up space for those things that will. And that’s a nice thought, isn’t it? What may be waiting in the wings for a clearer space?

I’m thinking better relationships, a cleaner environment, and a clearer mind.

Contentment.

If you need help letting go and understanding how to connect to what feels right for you, contact me. I am a spiritual life coach with a mission to help others awaken and to their highest self. It is then that the job of letting go becomes more effortless, and attracting what you desire come naturally.