Letting Go

There are so many things we hang onto emotionally that stagnate in our bodies and sometimes even make us sick.  They are emotions we may not even realize that we have, but come out in our lives in other ways.  Maybe we lash out at people and get angry a lot, scream at people in traffic, make mean comments to our loved ones.  Or sometimes even worse, we just put on a happy face and stuff it all down and turn off our emotions, becoming totally detached.  And when it gets really bad and we don’t deal with the emotions (or the stuffed ones) at all, it may manifest as a disease.

Sometimes we blame others, or incidents in our lives, for our anger or unhappiness.  We have guilt, regrets and deep sadness even.  We are waiting for someone or something to release all the pain, guilt, sadness and anger.  Or we just want to forget about it, but it festers within us.  They are emotions that you may not even realize are present though because you don’t deal with them.  You’ve stuffed it all down so deep that you don’t even know why you’re angry and unhappy all the time, or why you keep getting sick.

It’s Time to Release it

Well I’m here to tell you that the best and healthiest thing you can do is to let it all go.  And by that I don’t mean not to deal with it, because that’s when it gets worse and makes us miserable and ill.  You are going to have to deal with it to release it. You need to dredge it all out and feel it, get upset about it, understand it, and release it.

Sounds fun, right?  I know, it’s exactly why most people don’t want to deal with things.  It can be emotionally overwhelming.  But if you can put yourself in a safe space to do it, you need to do it.  And if you can’t think of a safe place to do it, you need to find one.  You need to find space and a place to dig this up and feel it.  Whether that’s alone, or with others.

Ways to Let Go

How do you go about doing that?  There are a lot of different ways of course.  A therapist who can help you work through it all constructively is really the best for many people, so I do recommend that.  But you can also do the work yourself if you have some knowledge of how to deal with it all, and hopefully some strong and supportive people around you.

Here are a few ideas on how you can start to let go of old emotions:

• Start to journal about it. Let yourself express the feelings on paper and really write anything you want to get it all out.  Don’t hold back.  There’s always the shredder.  Say it all and get all those emotions on paper in whatever way you want.
• Some people feel that they can get their emotions out the best in a creative way – painting, writing a book, dancing, playing an instrument, etc. Find something that you feel helps to bring up those old emotions and helps you release them.
• Perhaps write a letter to the person who hurt you, or that you hurt. You don’t need to send it, but the act of writing it can be incredibly therapeutic.  Again, there is always the shredder.  Some people like to symbolically burn their letters too, as an act of releasing those old emotions.  If you do choose this option, please do so safely and carefully (in a fireplace or firepit perhaps).
• Find a way to help others who have gone through similar things. So, if you were abused as a child, it can sometimes help you to work through your own feelings about it by working with abused children now as an adult.  Helping others through similar issues can be healing.
• There are many amazing healing modalities and healers out there you can tap into, depending on how open minded you are. From Reiki, to crystals, essential oils, energy work, mediums and psychic readings. I’ve been to many healers utilizing very different modalities beyond this as well, and it’s amazing how much healing can be done in a short time with their help if you are open to it.
• When you have a ‘meltdown’ emotionally, don’t just take it at face value. You may have had a bad day, but what is REALLY making you meltdown?  Dig deeper. Ask yourself the REAL reason why you feel angry or frustrated.  Get curious about it.  I recently did this just thinking that the dogs and work were driving me crazy, and what I found was that I had an underlying feeling that I was a failure.  No, not easy to realize, but something I can deal with and heal now…after a good cry….

Stop Blaming and Start Healing

Whatever you do though, don’t ever blame others for what is happening to you now. We are in charge of our own lives. We make our own choices.  People may have done stuff to us in the past (or even right now), but it is now upon us as adults to choose how we deal with it and move forward.  We need to work through those old emotions, forgive (them and ourselves) and let go. You can’t stuff it under the rug. It will only fester and surface as something like disease, or unnecessary anger and unhappiness.

It’s all a process though, and I’m making it sound easier than it is.  The bottom line is though, if you can get at the root of the feelings you are having (using whatever mode works best for you), you can heal the emotions.  You can figure out why you are short-tempered or sad or frustrated by getting to the heart of the problem.  Whatever is really bothering you.  And deal with it.  Deal with the emotions, and deal with anything that needs to change in your life. Then it’s time to heal.

So my hope for you is that you will dig deep and unearth these feelings once and for all, and work on healing them.  It feels so amazing to realize why you’ve been so miserable, stop blaming (yourself and others), and really release it.  It’s like being freed from chains that held you back in your life from finding true happiness.  It’s time to free yourself from those emotional chains and move to a place of self-love and compassion.

You may also enjoy Mastering Patience and Self Love in Crazy Times

A book that you might enjoy is – Crystals for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with the Healing Power of Crystals by Karen Frazier

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