Thinking at two very different scales, from personal to planetary–
Comparison between the shape my body has now and the shape it used to have, and societally created expectations for women in particular. This one is a struggle. It isn’t just about appearance, either–I want to be able to run for the bus comfortably, which would require a running practice I don’t have. I do some occasional run/walk alternations on my walks, which is helping.
I can’t let go of existential dread about how we’re treating the planet and what it means for the long-term survival of the human species and so many others. I choose not to keep it front and center most of the time. I have to, in order to live the life I have. I can at least make good choices that lower my own impact, and advocate for the bigger systemic changes we need.
There are a lot of things I’d like to let go of . . .
guilt with shame and self-judgment being two of them.
My father being a Presbyterian minister
who was very conservative for most of his life,
didn’t help.
These things . . .
guilt with shame and self-judgment
were deeply ingrained in my training,
and throughout my entire childhood
I lived with the anxiety
of whether or not I was really ‘saved’
and would go to heaven when I died.
I repeatedly
went before my father with this question,
seeking reassurance
that I was indeed saved,
and that yes,
I would be going to heaven.
During all this inner turmoil
I ‘went forward’
at a Billy Graham Crusade
in Madison Square Garden
during one of his events,
not entirely trusting my father’s assurances.
Then,
my hormones
and a desire for independence set in
and I rebelled against all of it,
but it still haunted me for many years.
I have let organized religion go,
and no longer believe I will be condemned to an eternity in hell,
but those two things,
guilt with shame and self-judgment
still weasel their way into my head
and try to sabotage me,
often when I least expect it.
I live like they don’t,
but internally,
I can still feel them twisting around in me
like ghosts.
The truth is,
and I know this very well,
that I no longer need them . . .
they are soggy,
mud-laden baggage
that weigh me down
and mess around with my sense of well-being.
I think it’s past time to have a meeting
and really address them . . .
it’s not a matter anymore
of if I CAN let them go,
but do I WANT to.
It doesn’t have to be that hard . . .
let the past go
and let the present
be what it is
with no guilt, shame
or judgment at all. ♥
Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I know those things well. Matter of fact, I’m attending a workshop tomorrow afternoon that will hopefully help me release more of the shame and guilt that still reside in my mind. I agree with you that it doesn’t have to be that hard. Let’s embrace the art of letting go!
For me dear Sparrow, indoctrinated religious dogma was truly hard to shake. Fortunately for me, once sincerely shed, it has stopped entering my realm of being.
I can’t tell you how freeing
it has been for me too,
dear Joseph–
except for those residual wounds,
which linger.
I want to want them to shrivel up and die,
instead of clinging to them
like some sort of excuse . . .
excuse for what? ♥
To let go of negative feelings today, as they are illusions as such anyway and tend to mist the view on what is, which is more positive than what I could have expected. Instead do what is needed without commentary of mind´s possible chatter, breathe and so I did.
My anxiety has been a major challenge all my life. It constantly tries to drag me into the past or the future which means I miss out on NOW. It’s truly part of who I am so every time that flower bud starts to open, anxiety rears its head. I want to be angry. That is how I handled it when I first started trying to let go but that left me in a heap of misery. Instead I’ve learned to be compassionate. I do my best to let it be. It’s more like calming a child so they can find the courage/will to proceed. Sometimes, I fail to bloom but at least I don’t beat myself up about it.
Worry…it has followed me throughout my life. Now at 74 years old….it continues to be a constant. Recently; I had news that my heart is a bit worse (Post heart attack in June of 24)….my worry and anxiety were through the roof. When it came down to it…there was a change but not life threatening at this time. Just breathe. I kept telling myself that…and today working around the house…I was anxious and thinking that I was short of breath. Worrying that my life was changing. But I can beat this…worry is not my friend…and I am REALLY going to try to let go of this lifelong foe. My husband and I and our two cats will be starting our journey to Alaska in our motorhome —and I am going to be healthy and worry less!! Thankful for this wonderful space and people. God Bless.
Enjoy your journey, Nanette, and safe travels. I hope you and your husband get to spend time kayaking on the beautiful lakes on the way up to Alaska, I can think of few things more relaxing!
I hope you have a wonderful trip to Alaska and hope you are able to tell us about some of it on your journey.
Please relax and try not to worry. Safe travels Nannette!
You are not alone in anxiety,
dear Nanette.
It doesn’t do any favors for your heart either . . .
go,
enjoy your journey to Alaska,
and be present to the beauty around you. ♥
There is so much to let go of. I think I’m at a point in my life, that is mostly letting go. I am in a constant state of loosening my grip. Trying to relax into what is. Trying to let go of the desire to control things,
of feeling sorry for myself or feeding my ego with being right. Basically, it’s a letting go of my insecurities.
I’ve been receiving healthcare, which in the US means I’ve been dealing with monopolies (insurance company, hospital conglomerate) that act in bad faith. Smaller companies have been doing this too, denying their own errors, ignoring my complaint.
Honestly, it’s been infuriating. I want to let go of my angry reactions to being systemically dismissed or made to jump through hoops to get basic communication. I know the anger is justified. I don’t want to become complacent, but I need to accept that these monopolies are working as designed. I’d like to not be pulling my hair out so often.
Carol, I’m learning to accept the waves of frustration as they come. Learn their nature and color. I don’t think I can just *not* be frustrated, and it’s a healthy reaction, given what the health care system actually does in the US. I just wish it was better, but then again, I can advocate more too. A lot of this seems to be about alchemizing the anger into awareness and action.
i can let go of perfectionism and guilt today and take in self-compassion. As I get ready to call a friend I was supposed to call last week, I can let go of seeing myself as the perfect friend and have compassion for my reluctance. As I prepare for guests tonight I can let go of the self-image of being a woman with a stylish home and welcome people to my “well-lived-in” home. So many expectations I lay on myself. Its helpful to name them.
Today is my grading crisis assessment and intervention. I’m honestly nervous. I have the models I want to follow through with. I have the techniques as a professional. But I’m unsure about the scenario that the professor created for us. There will be someone pretending to be a client in crisis to work with us. I did some reflection on my emotions and noticed that I want to let go of predicting what the scenario will be. Just take some deep breaths, stay steady. 🍃
You are probably well prepared and trained and you are flexible, and surely a very good student also. You will be able to stay centered, dear Ngoc, and able to following your inner light of intuition. Just observing your breath, as you already have done, might most probably bring you back to the very moment when needed, capable to manage whatever the situation may require. Pressing all my thumbs for your managing this test situation well.
My Ngoc, instructors have a way of throwing interesting curve balls. Chat we learn and what happens in the real world end up being different from each other like the study material and tests.
I can let go of the fear and episodes of “what ifs” I do and say what I need to. When is it better to deal with the problems you know versus the problems that could be.
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My sins of the past. I was under bad influence and made many mistakes, I accept the forgiveness that I don’t deserve, but I am putting it behind me.
I think that you DO, indeed, deserve forgiveness.
Thinking at two very different scales, from personal to planetary–
Comparison between the shape my body has now and the shape it used to have, and societally created expectations for women in particular. This one is a struggle. It isn’t just about appearance, either–I want to be able to run for the bus comfortably, which would require a running practice I don’t have. I do some occasional run/walk alternations on my walks, which is helping.
I can’t let go of existential dread about how we’re treating the planet and what it means for the long-term survival of the human species and so many others. I choose not to keep it front and center most of the time. I have to, in order to live the life I have. I can at least make good choices that lower my own impact, and advocate for the bigger systemic changes we need.
As many of us said ” Worry” 🤔
Thankfully my work week was worry free after 3 months of constant issues ✨
Glad to hear your work week was good, Robin Ann. 3 months of constant issues is a lot.
There are a lot of things I’d like to let go of . . .
guilt with shame and self-judgment being two of them.
My father being a Presbyterian minister
who was very conservative for most of his life,
didn’t help.
These things . . .
guilt with shame and self-judgment
were deeply ingrained in my training,
and throughout my entire childhood
I lived with the anxiety
of whether or not I was really ‘saved’
and would go to heaven when I died.
I repeatedly
went before my father with this question,
seeking reassurance
that I was indeed saved,
and that yes,
I would be going to heaven.
During all this inner turmoil
I ‘went forward’
at a Billy Graham Crusade
in Madison Square Garden
during one of his events,
not entirely trusting my father’s assurances.
Then,
my hormones
and a desire for independence set in
and I rebelled against all of it,
but it still haunted me for many years.
I have let organized religion go,
and no longer believe I will be condemned to an eternity in hell,
but those two things,
guilt with shame and self-judgment
still weasel their way into my head
and try to sabotage me,
often when I least expect it.
I live like they don’t,
but internally,
I can still feel them twisting around in me
like ghosts.
The truth is,
and I know this very well,
that I no longer need them . . .
they are soggy,
mud-laden baggage
that weigh me down
and mess around with my sense of well-being.
I think it’s past time to have a meeting
and really address them . . .
it’s not a matter anymore
of if I CAN let them go,
but do I WANT to.
It doesn’t have to be that hard . . .
let the past go
and let the present
be what it is
with no guilt, shame
or judgment at all. ♥
Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I know those things well. Matter of fact, I’m attending a workshop tomorrow afternoon that will hopefully help me release more of the shame and guilt that still reside in my mind. I agree with you that it doesn’t have to be that hard. Let’s embrace the art of letting go!
I’m sure you do know these things well,
dear SunnyPatti . . .
I join you
and you join me
in the letting go.
That’s what we’re here for,
isn’t it? ♥
Walking each other home 🙂
For me dear Sparrow, indoctrinated religious dogma was truly hard to shake. Fortunately for me, once sincerely shed, it has stopped entering my realm of being.
I can’t tell you how freeing
it has been for me too,
dear Joseph–
except for those residual wounds,
which linger.
I want to want them to shrivel up and die,
instead of clinging to them
like some sort of excuse . . .
excuse for what? ♥
Misery?
…something to think about
for sure…♥
To let go of negative feelings today, as they are illusions as such anyway and tend to mist the view on what is, which is more positive than what I could have expected. Instead do what is needed without commentary of mind´s possible chatter, breathe and so I did.
It’s a bit like looking at the forest
without judgment,
dear Ose,
isn’t it? ♥
My anxiety has been a major challenge all my life. It constantly tries to drag me into the past or the future which means I miss out on NOW. It’s truly part of who I am so every time that flower bud starts to open, anxiety rears its head. I want to be angry. That is how I handled it when I first started trying to let go but that left me in a heap of misery. Instead I’ve learned to be compassionate. I do my best to let it be. It’s more like calming a child so they can find the courage/will to proceed. Sometimes, I fail to bloom but at least I don’t beat myself up about it.
Worry…it has followed me throughout my life. Now at 74 years old….it continues to be a constant. Recently; I had news that my heart is a bit worse (Post heart attack in June of 24)….my worry and anxiety were through the roof. When it came down to it…there was a change but not life threatening at this time. Just breathe. I kept telling myself that…and today working around the house…I was anxious and thinking that I was short of breath. Worrying that my life was changing. But I can beat this…worry is not my friend…and I am REALLY going to try to let go of this lifelong foe. My husband and I and our two cats will be starting our journey to Alaska in our motorhome —and I am going to be healthy and worry less!! Thankful for this wonderful space and people. God Bless.
Enjoy your journey, Nanette, and safe travels. I hope you and your husband get to spend time kayaking on the beautiful lakes on the way up to Alaska, I can think of few things more relaxing!
May gentleness be your companion.
Safe travels to you Nannette. I look forward to hearing about your Alaska adventure.
May you be well and safe on your journey 🙏🏼
I hope you have a wonderful trip to Alaska and hope you are able to tell us about some of it on your journey.
Please relax and try not to worry. Safe travels Nannette!
You are not alone in anxiety,
dear Nanette.
It doesn’t do any favors for your heart either . . .
go,
enjoy your journey to Alaska,
and be present to the beauty around you. ♥
Nannette, Safe travels…be kind to yourself. Take it one day at a time.
There is so much to let go of. I think I’m at a point in my life, that is mostly letting go. I am in a constant state of loosening my grip. Trying to relax into what is. Trying to let go of the desire to control things,
of feeling sorry for myself or feeding my ego with being right. Basically, it’s a letting go of my insecurities.
“Letting go of my insecurities…”
You are not alone in this,
dear Charlie . . .
this makes me think of a proverb I heard somewhere . . .
“Mile by mile, it’s a trial; yard by yard, it’s hard; but inch by inch, it’s a cinch”.
It’s all about baby steps. ♥
Wise words, dear Charlie.
I’ve been receiving healthcare, which in the US means I’ve been dealing with monopolies (insurance company, hospital conglomerate) that act in bad faith. Smaller companies have been doing this too, denying their own errors, ignoring my complaint.
Honestly, it’s been infuriating. I want to let go of my angry reactions to being systemically dismissed or made to jump through hoops to get basic communication. I know the anger is justified. I don’t want to become complacent, but I need to accept that these monopolies are working as designed. I’d like to not be pulling my hair out so often.
This is happening to me, too, Drea and it is so frustrating. As a friend often told me years ago, “Don’t let it rob you of your joy.
Carol, I’m learning to accept the waves of frustration as they come. Learn their nature and color. I don’t think I can just *not* be frustrated, and it’s a healthy reaction, given what the health care system actually does in the US. I just wish it was better, but then again, I can advocate more too. A lot of this seems to be about alchemizing the anger into awareness and action.
i can let go of perfectionism and guilt today and take in self-compassion. As I get ready to call a friend I was supposed to call last week, I can let go of seeing myself as the perfect friend and have compassion for my reluctance. As I prepare for guests tonight I can let go of the self-image of being a woman with a stylish home and welcome people to my “well-lived-in” home. So many expectations I lay on myself. Its helpful to name them.
I am wrestling with two right now. Can I let go of comparing and high expectations of myself and those I think are coming from others.
Today is my grading crisis assessment and intervention. I’m honestly nervous. I have the models I want to follow through with. I have the techniques as a professional. But I’m unsure about the scenario that the professor created for us. There will be someone pretending to be a client in crisis to work with us. I did some reflection on my emotions and noticed that I want to let go of predicting what the scenario will be. Just take some deep breaths, stay steady. 🍃
Good luck!
May calm be your guide, Ngoc
You’ve got this! 🍀
You are probably well prepared and trained and you are flexible, and surely a very good student also. You will be able to stay centered, dear Ngoc, and able to following your inner light of intuition. Just observing your breath, as you already have done, might most probably bring you back to the very moment when needed, capable to manage whatever the situation may require. Pressing all my thumbs for your managing this test situation well.
Take it moment by moment…I have no doubt you are prepared.
You cand do this Ngoc! You have prepared well…take your time and breathe. Do your best and all will be well.
Good luck, Ngoc, I’m sure your preparation will pay off!
You can do this,
dear Ngoc. ♥
You’ve got this, Ngoc!
My Ngoc, instructors have a way of throwing interesting curve balls. Chat we learn and what happens in the real world end up being different from each other like the study material and tests.
You did all the prep work. Just be your wonderful self.
Maybe just concentrate on being a service to the client and helping them as best as you can
Very wise…be present
I need to let go of my idea of perfection…of having everything done – perfectly.
Yes!
I feel ya, Katrina!
Katrina, what helps for me is coming in with a purpose in whatever I do and to make sure I don’t lose track of it. It’s easy to get distracted.
The bud. Peace. Love & Light.
Tell us more,
dear Joseph . . . ♥
. . . never mind. 🙂
I hadn’t looked at today’s ‘Word’ yet.
I can let go of the fear and episodes of “what ifs” I do and say what I need to. When is it better to deal with the problems you know versus the problems that could be.
Yes, keep it in the present moment!