Let It Go

One of the first things that we must do on our psychic development journey is to look in the mirror at ourselves and deal with our own insecurities. Old injustices and past hurts have a way of getting us stuck in our tracks. This hinders us from moving forward and experiencing joy. Also, it makes it far more difficult to offer healing and insight to others while we still feel burdened by our own emotions and struggles. It's for this reason that it's very important to do the work on ourselves first.

The first thing I did on my journey was to work through some unhappy residue from the past that I was obsessively replaying. Old losses, past injustices, nagging guilts, grudges, anger and bad decisions to name a few. These were all things that were no longer serving me, and quite frankly, dragging me down. Each time I extended energy to worry or replay events it was taking precious energy away from me living and enjoying life.

I yearned to thrive and joyfully move forward so I let it all go. I forgave others and myself and I’ll tell you, WOW did it feel great! So how the heck did I do it?

I've compiled a few easy steps that worked for me for you to try, keeping in mind this isn't something that just magically happens overnight. I’ll be honest, it’s a journey that myself, and others, continue to work on. Hey that’s life but they no longer consume me by being on replay. I found a different place to put them, process them, and then I let it go. I will never forget these thoughts, but I will no longer let them intrude. I won’t pretend they weren’t bad events, but you understand that you can heal. We don't get over the past. We get past it and learn from it.

Here are a few steps for you to try:

1. Plan for the future

Take a class, plan a vacation, meet with like-minded people who are focusing on their intuition. This gives you something to work toward and pulls you out of the quicksand of yesterday. These are also things that will elevate your energy.

2. Transform your story

We are what we think. In the events of your life were you the hero or the victim, loved or unloved, capable or incompetent? Rewrite the narrative so it is more balanced and empathetic then focus on the positive outcome of a bad story. It is said we preplan our life lessons before we incarnate. Was the situation a lesson learned or were you the lesson for someone else?

3. Forgive

At first, I thought forgiveness was letting the bad guy off the hook, but I soon came to realize it was taking too much energy to stay mad and keeping me on the hook. I gained more by forgiving the people I viewed as wronging me and I felt lighter and happier for it. I also acknowledged the harm I had caused to others and reached out for forgiveness.

We have all heard about the exercise to write everything down in a letter. The good, the bad, and the ugly. After I wrote my letter, I burned it. That action is supposed to symbolically release all the emotions and situation to the universe, releasing its grip on you. After doing this myself, I found this exercise to be a useful tool and it has helped me since the start of my healing. (*Please burn in a fire safe place. I burned my letter at a beach over some rocks but a steel bucket or firepit works also.)

4. Learn to be present

We tend to focus on the emotional magnets of the past and future but the most powerful antidote to letting go is for us to focus on the present, the here and now. It’s also called mindfulness. Being mindful and present is very stress-reducing and there are many positive emotional and spiritual side effects. To practice being present, simply make note of your thoughts and the sensations that are occurring at that the moment. I practice mindful walking. I make note of the smell in the air, my feet as they take each step, the birds singing and my surroundings. I then journal my thoughts when I come home. Journaling is also a great way to be present, reflect and release. The bonus is that as you become more mindful you will notice you have moved past the past.

Letting go of the old opens up the opportunity for new in your life. The best part is that you are the master of your domain. You create the rules and can learn from your past. You create what is acceptable, boundaries and your version of peace, happiness and joy.

You may have seen my poem on the front page, but to me this summarizes change, growth and letting it all go.

“Forget the past, look on to the future, for tomorrow is what wasn’t today” ~ Nancy Brady

I wish you much joy, love and happiness!