Have you ever felt a weight on your personal or professional development? Maybe you’ve been holding onto a memory, a friendship that has since dissolved, or a magnum opus that never came to fruition. These things aren’t physical weights but can feel like one. Just as gravity tends to pull us down, our thoughts and emotions will keep us “down.” In this blog, we will talk about the weight, we feel when we hold onto things, and the light, such as feeling free, when we let go.
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Emotional link
Attachment signifies a strong tie or connection you have with someone or something. We develop attachments to people, places, thoughts, and objects. Examples of this can be your best friend, your favorite toy, or even your ambition to become a doctor. Hence, attachments bring us comfort and happiness, but sometimes, they also bring us pain.
Consider if you had a friend who stopped talking to you. You missed your friend and kept thinking about the good things that have happened while you were with them. You wished that they would come back, and you felt a little sad each time you came across something that reminded you of them, even if you were not feeling sad about your friend directly. This is emotional attachment, it is normal, but it can have long-lasting effects that can lead to feeling heavy inside when we keep holding on longer than necessary.
Attachment holds you back
Gravity is the force that keeps us on the ground. It stops us from flying away. Similarly, attachments can cause us to feel bound in our minds. If we are unwilling to let go of past living or stressor-induced worry, then we feel like we are accepting a huge emotional load. This emotional load may make us emotionally tired, unhappy, or more stressed.
Similar to how an overloaded bag filled with stones is heavy and can be cumbersome besides hard to pull around, our minds become full of unwanted weight, filled with regrets, fears, and sadness. We may not see it, but we can certainly feel the weight in our hearts.
Free yourself
Letting go does not mean you no longer care. It means you stop holding on to pain. When you let go, you accept what has happened and allow yourself to move on. You stop asking, “Why did this happen to me?” and start saying, “It’s okay; I will be alright.”
How to move on
Letting go can be difficult. However, it is possible to learn how to let go step by step. Below are some easy ways to help you learn how to let go:
Accept what you cannot change. None of us controls everything that happens. Things happen for a reason, and we do not always see it right away.
Talk to someone. Whether is a friend, teacher, or family member; just letting someone know how you feel can be nice.
Write it down. Writing can sometimes help you work through things and if a letter makes you feel better – send it as an example or possible way to say goodbye.
Forgive. Forgiveness is not for the other person; forgiveness allows you to be at peace. When you forgive, you are freeing yourself from the anger.
Conclusion
Life is full of ups and downs along the way. It’s okay to feel hurt or sad. When we feel like we are in a horrible place, it can be too easy for that place to feel permanent. Moving on does not mean you are weak, it is a sign of strength. You have chosen to grow and move on from that place of hurt or sadness.
