Letting Go of Things That No Longer Serve You

Acquiring new things (material things, skills, wealth, etc.) is often celebrated as a way of defining success and happiness in life. While these things can certainly elevate how you feel about your life, there is a certain aspect to life that is not about acquiring but about letting go. Letting go of things that no longer serve you is in a way more important than getting a lot of new things. 

Even if you have all the materialistic things you want in life, without a well-trained mind to letting go of things that no longer serve you, chances are you will spend a lot of time being stressed and unhappy about certain things around you. So how do you know when to let go or even what to let go of?

There are many instances where your mind is clinging on to something dearly, even if it’s only making things more difficult for you. It may look like:

• The feeling after an argument which lingers on making you think you are right and the other person is wrong
• A past incident that happened to you or someone close to you that you can’t seem to stop thinking about
• Something someone said to you or something they did that hurt you which you are now obsessing about
• A relationship with a friend or loved one is draining you mentally but you are holding onto it because you want to avoid a difficult situation

Now there is one thing common with all of these situations, and that is you feel wronged in some way and your mind doesn’t stop bothering you about it. Our minds are fixated on something and without that happening, you don’t seem to find any peace of mind.

This leads to further distress, worry, and unhappiness. You get so deeply absorbed into this cycle of hate, guilt, anger, and helplessness. And that means you get deprived of the beauty of life and all its possibilities.

So how can you move past this cycle of emotional trauma and let go of the things that no longer serve you?

If you’ve finally had enough of this feeling of distress and unhappiness, and want to start practicing letting go, below are some tips that can help you.

1. Notice the immediate feeling: When you’re fixated on a thought pattern like this, most of the time it will translate into some sort of physical feeling too. It’s different with different people and situations. Maybe you feel a little bit of tightness in your chest, or a little bit of heat in your belly, maybe your palms and feet sweat (this is me) or it could be some other feeling too. Every time you notice this feeling, you are training your mind to better identify it the next time it happens.

2. Cultivate acceptance: This is one of the most important things you need to do before you can pretty much heal or overcome any situation in life. When you try to acknowledge and accept that it’s time to let go of something, your mind will try to show you all the reasons why you should be holding on to it. But trust the process and remind yourself that you are letting go of that particular thing to create space for something new and supportive to your growth.

3. Honor whatever you’re letting go of: Now, just because you’re letting go of something, doesn’t mean you should hate it and carry feelings of resentment towards it. Holding on to such feelings can hinder your healing process and make things harder than they are. Remind yourself that letting go of something (or someone) that was once so important in your life can lead to a lot of sadness and loneliness. It’s okay to feel sad and heartbroken. Just know that this feeling won’t last forever and you will start feeling better again eventually.

4. Become aware of the openness of the universe and its infinite possibilities: Letting go and moving on with your life can seem like a long painful process. Whenever you feel down about your life, remember that the universe is vast and full of possibilities. When you are letting go of something that no longer serves you, the universe conspires to throw something much more amazing towards you when the time is right. Patience and trust in the process can take you a long way when dealing with something like this. 

Letting go of something that no longer serves you can seem very daunting, especially if you have spent a lot of time and energy on that. However, making the difficult decision now to let go of that can be one of the best things that could ever happen to you. Even if you don’t see it now, you will see that at some point later in life.

What steps are you ready to take to let go of things that no longer serve you? Please let us know!