Letting Go

Photography by Sarah Halwani

Several years ago, I read a book that completely changed my life and opened my eyes to new way of thinking. That book was Spirit Junkie by Gabby Bernstein. If you’re not familiar with her work, Gabby is an author and spiritual teacher who has used her own spiritual journey to empower and inspire others to do what she has done: to connect with a power greater than yourself to help you live a life that is truly aligned to your soul’s purpose and free of fear.

There were so many amazing takeaways from this book that I wouldn’t even know where to begin (and I have read it two times since reading it the first time!), but one message in particular really resonated and has stuck with me to this day… and is now one of the primary mantras that I live my life by and has helped me to successfully manage my anxiety.

“Let go.”

Just two little words. One short sentence. A simple meaning that can really go a long way.

So, what does it mean to let go?

Speaking from personal experience, I have struggled with anxiety… over just about everything… for as far back as I can remember (you can read more about my journey with anxiety here). If you’ve ever experienced anxiety yourself, you’re probably well aware that it can impact pretty much every aspect of your life, and can be very hard to manage, especially when you feel justified in feeling the way you do.

So, when I was introduced to the concept of “letting go”… it resonated with me because it was (and still is) something I needed to do with just about everything. I needed to let go of insecurities, I needed to let go of trying to please every one, I needed to let go of the need to be perfect, I needed to let go of the fear of failure, I needed to let go of all of the judgements I had placed on myself and my abilities, as well as those of others… I really could go on for days. But I didn’t know that I needed to let go of all these things until the concept of letting go was presented to me.

Letting go is the act of releasing your expectations and living your life from a place of love rather than fear. It’s trusting that there is a higher power working for you and not against you. It’s finding a sense of peace in knowing that there is no such thing as perfect but at the same time, that you are perfect exactly as you are.

Letting go doesn’t mean that you just stop caring or trying… it doesn’t mean that you give up and just live with “what is”. Letting go isn’t passive… it’s very much active, and is something you have to do every. single. day. You don’t just “let go” once and forget about everything. You have to keep doing it, especially if you struggle with anxiety, stress, control and perfectionism (among other things).

Letting go means that you trust the Universe to get you where you’re going. It means that you trust the process of your life, recognizing that everything that happens to you (both good & bad) can teach you a lesson. When you let go, you make the conscious decision to step into love and move forward from love, leaving fear behind you. When you let go of something that feels forced, when you let go of control in a situation that feels like it’s spiraling, when you let go of a mindset that isn’t surviving your greater good… you open yourself up to miracles. And when you’re open to receiving miracles, the Universe delivers.

Any time that I feel myself caught in a pattern of anxiety, I use the mantra “let go” to pause, take a step back, breathe in deeply, and exhale to let go of and release whatever it is that’s causing me to live in fear in that moment. It’s a simple tool that helps me to recenter and ground myself in the present, in love and in inner peace.

So… what do you need to let go of?

xo,
Kelsey