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There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.” JESSICA HATCHIGAN
Too often, however, we cling emotionally to our past circumstances. We refuse to move on because we feel we can effect change that allows us to reclaim them.
Letting go begins with accepting our new circumstances. Rather than clinging to a past we desperately want to reclaim, we embrace reality. We commit to no longer dwell on the past. We detach ourself from circumstances over which we have minimal influence.
First, we develop emotional resilience. We learn to manage our emotions rather than suppress and avoid them. Second, we adopt a mindset of non-attachment to the past. We acknowledge our feelings, investigate them, and ultimately give ourself permission to let them go, accepting our new circumstances. We recognize that attachment to the past is unhealthy, and resolve our emotional discomfort rather than simply pushing it away.
If you cannot recall the last time you were happy, you may be clinging to a painful memory, deeply-felt loss, or regrettable and consequential decision made with false expectations.
When we let go of the past, we give ourself permission to no longer focus on pleasing others. Instead, we can focus on making decisions that prioritize our own needs and make the best use of the resources at our disposal.
To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit. JACK KORNFIELD
When we fixate on others’ perceptions of us, we implicitly allow them to make our decisions for us. Our life is no longer our own. And our emotional health becomes dependent on what others think of us.
Low self-esteem discourages us from letting go because we feel that we deserve the regrettable circumstances we’ve experienced and the resultant emotional pain we’re suffering.
Being able to admit fault is a necessary step toward letting go of the past and enjoying the emotional freedom and peace of mind that results from moving on.
My thing is, out of sight, out of mind. That's my attitude toward life. So I don't have any romanticism about any part of my past. JOHN LENNON
Abandoning our old identities can be tremendously liberating. It allows us to more easily let go of awful memories and punishing emotions as we’re no longer held captive by demoralizing, self-applied labels.
Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head. ANN LANDERS
When you say yes to others, make sure you aren’t saying no to yourself. PAULO COEHLO
Take stock of everyone who has ever wronged you in any way, regardless of how severe or recent it may have been, and make the choice to let go. Forgiveness is an act of the heart. WAYNE DYER
Painful memories, and the negative emotions they evoke, haunt us and hold us back. Left unresolved, they cling to us like a wet garment, causing us to obsess over things we cannot change. Regret becomes our constant companion, preventing us from enjoying true emotional freedom.
