Let things go

Autumn is a time for receiving change and reflecting on the beauty of letting go. Nature teaches us about this beautiful process.

“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to ‘Let things go’”. I'm grateful to my friend who sent me this quote. Nature is our role model on how to find balance in our lives. The seasons change for a purpose. The tree letting go of the leaves is a way to conserve and prepare for the next season, winter. We also need to let go of things in our lives to conserve, prepare and discover our optimal balance. Our well-being is a balance of all things in our lives.

How often do any of us get to a place where our life is too full? Sometimes our lives are too full even with good things. To ‘let things go’ we need to take an inventory of our lives to make those choices. A spiritual mentor, years ago, shared the wisdom that solutions are endless. There are many ways to take inventory and choose what things to let go. One of my favorite tools to do this work is paper and pen. Here are some ways to do this inventory:

1) Write down all your commitments in your life and then number them by priority 2) make a list of what you know you could let go of today, next month, two months 3) make a pie chart, write in each section where your energy is spent and percentages, you can add is it a positive energy, negative or both 4) write down areas in your life filling you up and areas draining your energy

After you choose a way to take an inventory of what you have in your life, then asks yourself where you can let go. If you are a spiritual person, it may be helpful to pray before making this decision and/or spend 10 minutes or more in quiet meditation. Next, take the steps to let go of what you chose. If your choice involves commitments remember to keep your reasons simple, such as “at this time I need to let this go.” Often we feel a need to explain our boundaries and reasons to people, simply that is not necessary.

Another option is to do a daily inventory. Start each day giving to yourself 10 minutes to be in solitude to think of your day ahead. In this time spend a few minutes listing what you are thankful for and then a few minutes thinking of your day ahead and asks yourself what do I need today and what could I say “no thank you to ______ today?”

May you ‘let things go’ beautifully this Autumn season. Be gentle with yourself.