BY CATHERINE BEARD – THE BLISSFUL MIND
The reminder to ‘let go of what doesn’t serve you‘ is everywhere. You’ve probably seen it floating around on your Instagram feed at some point.
But what does it mean? How do we know what’s serving or not serving us?
If we use the definition of serve as ‘to be useful or of service to’, the advice translates to letting go of what’s not useful to you anymore.
Ultimately, that could mean things that:
- take away your energy
- drain you mentally and emotionally
- make you doubt yourself
- give you nothing in return
- serve no real purpose in your life
If you’re clinging to the remnants of things that comfort you during this time, who am I to say that you need to get rid of them? We all want and need to feel safe.
But maybe you’re attached to things that aren’t providing any value to you anymore, such as the need to be in control, tasks that could be done by someone else, goals from two years ago, or those wilting plants that aren’t coming back to life.
Does anything come to mind for you?
One thing I know I need to let go of is feeling like I need the answers to everything. Like I can’t start something new or write about a topic unless I already know the answers. But that’s not how life works.
Sometimes to let go, you need to figure out what you want to embrace instead. Maybe it’s embracing less and keeping everything minimal for a while (clothing, books, the number of people you follow on social media, etc.).
Try asking what is nourishing you, what is providing you with comfort, and what is giving you the energy to do the things you want to do (or let’s be honest, the necessities you need to keep yourself going).
Here are some super simple ideas for letting go and making space:
Physically:
- dust the corners of your apartment that are accumulating nasties
- get rid of your dying plants (make room for new ones!🌿)
- donate the clothes that you’re never going to wear
Emotionally:
- watch a movie that you know will make you cry (in a good way)
- listen to music from your childhood
- wash the emotional support blanket on your bed
Mentally:
- brain dump everything out of your head onto a piece of paper
- do something for an hour that doesn’t involve a screen of any kind
- close the 100+ tabs open on your computer right now