Let it go (or just let it be).

Have you ever struggled with all of your might to hold on to something that just isn’t working? Is there something in your life that you know you would benefit from letting go of? Resisting change and refusing to accept what is can rob you of precious energy, stagnate your growth, and prevent you from enjoying the present.

This article will provide you with the help you need to be able to ‘let it go’ and step into your life with power and decisiveness.

When life throws you big changes, change your mind

If there is one thing we all know for certain, it is that life is unpredictable. Many of the people, experiences and things we hold dearest to us will only be temporary fixtures in our lives. This is a very scary reality for most of us and so we tend to cling when big changes show up in our lives. Clinging sucks our energy and gives us a sense of powerlessness over our wellbeing.

The reality is that you have the power to change the way you think about any unexpected changes in your life; Make the decision to choose those changes as if they were your own making and your power will expand, you will no longer feel like a victim. Decide right now that the changes you are experiencing will open your life up to other opportunities that are equally as good, or even better.

Choosing the change for yourself in this way is the first step in the process of letting go.

 

Let it go

The next step in letting go, is: letting go.

Whether that thing you are holding on to is a memory, a person, an image of how your life ‘should’ look, or a thought pattern that is no longer serving you, you can choose to let it go consciously. One way to do this is to create a ritual around letting go.

This summer, I was lucky enough to take two of my dearest friends (and my new little black rescue puppy) out for their first overnight backpacking trip.

We all scrambled up the mountain like champs and set up camp in the fading light.

 

Later that night, we lay on the ground in our sleeping bags with only our heads sticking out of the tent, looking up at the stars. As we marveled at the dark sky lit with the bright stripes of meteor tails, we each told each other the one thing in life we most wanted to let go of:

 The need for external validation, self-doubt, fear. 

In the morning we wrote these down on little strips of paper and burned them as we ate breakfast. This small ritual cleared up a lot of mental and creative energy for all of us that can now be focused on other positive things.

 

What can you let go of in your life?

Take 10 minutes think of the top 2 or 3 things that are robbing you of energy.

Can you let them go? If so, do so now. Do so with a ritual if that’s helpful for you.

 

Let it be

If you’ve tried letting something go and find you are coming up against a lot of resistance in the process, sometimes the next best thing is to just ‘let it be’. There are just some things that may take us a lifetime to truly let go of, and the best thing we can do is to learn to accept them and the way they affect us unconditionally.

Learning to fall in love with your life exactly as it is right now – with all of its flaws and frustrations, joys and successes, disappointments and sorrows -can be one of the most empowering things you ever do.

Can you today – just for one day -stop, breathe and accept it all? Can you possibly even love it all, even the ugly parts, just a little bit? If you can do that every day of your life, I guarantee that you will live a life full of happiness.

When I was a little girl, I used to love a quote that my grandmother had embroidered and framed on her wall. It read, ‘No joy lies in the future that is not hidden in this present little moment.’

 

As a naturopathic doctor, I am reminded every day that the most important medicine in our lives doesn’t come in a pill bottle, it doesn’t even come from a doctor. It comes from the hearts of those who love and know us, it comes from the natural world, it comes from animals, community, good books and starry nights. Most importantly, it comes from meeting our struggles head-on with honesty and integrity. And it comes from learning to see ourselves and our lives exactly as we are – and to be ok with it all as it is, even as we hope and dream of more.