Yes, you get what I mean. Today is National Letting Go Day, a day for all of us to let go of our baggage. But what type of luggage is it? The definition is pretty broad, according to the Days of the Year website, which declares minor holidays like this one:
You know those lingering regrets and resentments that tug at your soul weeks, months, or even years after the person, job, or situation that once made them important is no longer a part of your life? Yes, there was a time when you felt like you had to take every opportunity to show your ex, your former colleagues or classmates, how well you did without them, but not in the end when it was time to move on and give up on them ? Are negative emotions keeping you down?
That's exactly what Letting Go Day is all about; on this national day, you know you're not alone in taking the courageous step to let go of all the worries from the last chapter of your life.
Letting go day is the perfect time to stop wasting energy on negative feelings from the past and instead focus on building a positive future for yourself.
This might also be a good time to get together with friends and watch Frozen. Because if you're not sure about letting go, Idina Menzel might just convince you.
Here are some specific things you can do to let go, inspired by descriptions from past National Letting Go Day Facebook events:
1. fear
Okay, maybe you're still afraid of jumping off a balcony or getting in a car accident...but you know what I mean. Fear can prevent us from taking exciting adventures, taking career risks, or pursuing new relationships. There's a good chance these things won't work out, but if we don't try, we'll never know, and if we try, we might be pleasantly surprised and find that the risk is worth it in the end.
2. Excuses
"I can't go out because I'm tired." "I shouldn't apply for this job because I won't get it." "I can't take that class because I don't have time." "I shouldn't exercise because I “Eat too much lately” are the excuses that come to mind when the truth is that we’re scared (see #1) or just plain lazy. "No" can be a liberating word, but sometimes, turning down an opportunity becomes a reflex when it doesn't make sense. There are always a million reasons not to do something, but the reasons to do something are usually better.
3. Toxic people
Sometimes, out of inertia, we maintain friendships that simply wouldn’t exist if we met this person today. It may seem undesirable to let down a friend, but it is quality, not quantity, that counts, and no friendship is worth paying such a heavy price for the rest of your life.
4. Grudges
Resentment is often understandable, and I don't blame anyone for being unable to forgive someone else's bad behavior. If you want to try it, though, it helps to remind yourself that forgiving someone may be a pragmatic decision to minimize your own pain rather than an endorsement of the other person's behavior.
5. Things you don’t need
I know, I know, maybe a third nail clipper will come in handy one day. But the space they take up in the drawer is space that you can use to store the things you really need, or, you know, close the drawer. Clearing your space clears your mind.
6. Regret
I believe in learning from your mistakes, but don’t get mad at yourself for making them. What we make seems like the best decision right now, but we don’t always know what our future prospects will look like. We also don’t know what the future might have looked like if we had acted differently. The results of our “mistakes” are often a blessing in disguise.
7. Guilt
Have you committed murder? Have you ever stolen candy from a baby? If not, I officially absolve you of the guilt—because everyone except you has probably gotten over the thing you feel guilty about. Even if you do something really bad, you are not alone and no one will blame you if you change your ways and move on.
8. past
You don’t have to be who you were ten years ago. You don’t even have to be who you were yesterday. Every day brings an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You can always change your mind about anything (except, you know, things like whether or not you have to take care of your kids). By giving others this freedom to grow as well, you gain the rich experience of growing together.
According to the "Let It Go Day" Facebook event (which seems to have been started in 2011, so if anyone really likes this idea, we need a 2015 group), some ways to get rid of this baggage include examining and expressing your feelings , asking for forgiveness, organizing space, and “loving unconditionally”—it may seem like a daunting task, but it’s still a goal worth achieving.
Images: BK /Flickr (2); Jiffy (6)
