Releasing What No Longer Serves You

As someone who practices an alternative spirituality, I celebrate nature and all that it entails. From every change in season to the phases of the moon, my connection to the divine spirit, the universe, and nature have taught me how to navigate life, drawing to me, peace, abundance, and love.

The best lesson that I have learned on my spiritual journey is to let go. Let go of hurt, anger, toxic family and friends, people that you have outgrown, a career that no longer serves its purpose, and past regrets.

This is easier said than done.

The most satisfying thing is knowing that the burdens that you have carried, whether they were justified or not, are not a weight dragging you down into a pit of helplessness, hopelessness, and unhealthy cycles.

When it comes to cutting ties with people, can create a unique set of problems. Sometimes we allow people to stay in our lives because if we let them go, there will be a void left that needs to be filled. It is okay to have that void because it opens up space for new people who deserve to be part of your life. Also, the void does not need to be filled immediately. Use that space to work on yourself.

Every time I went through a breakup, I felt loneliness in the space that my ex-boyfriend once filled. That time made the absence harder because instead of using that time to work on myself, I wallowed in the emptiness. Eventually, I felt hopelessness creep in. I decided that I needed to let go of that person and the pain they caused me. I needed to release them and move on.

Letting go of family is difficult as well. You love them and you continue to be around them because deep down you are hoping that one day they will suddenly be the person or people that you need them to be. Express how you feel when they do or say certain things. If they work to make things better, they are worth keeping around. If they gaslight you or invalidate your feelings, you must let go of them.

Letting go of harmful cycles within yourself can bring about a sense of indescribable well-being. Negative self-talk, punishing yourself, self-harm, and overindulgence in destructive behaviors are all things that we should avoid. Talk to a professional about why you feel that these things are part of you and take the necessary steps to let them go. In the spiritual community, we call this shadow work. I keep a journal that asks these simple questions:

1. What happened and what triggered my reaction?

2. Was my reaction appropriate?

3. Is my reaction the result of a pattern (a specific situation, time of day, or when I am with a specific person)?

4. How could I change how I handled the situation?

5. What steps can I take to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

These questions may seem simple but sometimes they are hard to answer. It takes time to focus on yourself and your feelings to answer these questions honestly. If you notice that you have to write about the same situations or people, it is time to let those triggers go.

Keep in mind that this is a journey and things will not change overnight. Find joy in the process and continue to work on reaching your higher self. There are no quick fixes, so be patient with yourself and your journey.

If you want more information on my spiritual journey, follow me on Instagram at tabbytheherbalwitch.

For more of my writing, follow me on Instagram at tamarronbooks.