The power of letting go: 5 lessons I've learned
Hi everyone! I thought a lot about today's blog post and decided to share 5 lessons I've learned during the last year about the power of letting go.
I used to want to control everything in my life and for everything to be perfect. The stress and sadness I had for change were endless. So, I did a fantastic job with my therapist learning to let go.
It took me a lot of time because I felt I was putting my life in others' hands. I felt incredibly vulnerable and scared, but, looking back, I can assure you it's the best thing in the world. So, let me tell you 5 lessons I've learned about the power of letting go during this journey.
Lesson n.1: you can't control everything, even your body
Lesson number one was the hardest to learn. My days were fully packed, scheduled by minute, and I used to save only five hours for my sleep. I was pretending I wasn't tired or overwhelmed. I wanted to control my body image because my thighs were too big, my belly wasn't like the IG pictures, and my weight wasn't like I wanted. I pretended my clothing size would have made me happier and more loved. When I reached the weight I wanted, I was sad and stressed, scared to eat, and wanted to get thinner.
After three years of this routine and other things that happened in between, my body collapsed and made me follow its needs. So, I gained all the kilos during one of the most challenging times of my life. My body made me slow down, discover a new dimension of life where I can be happy despite my body weight, say no to things I don't want to do, be myself, enjoy something I was afraid to share, and be present. The pandemic helped me slow down and discover that I love being home, taking care of my plants, harvesting my herbs, and cooking delicious meals with them. Also, I've learned how to eat to heal my body, read the food tags, and try to eat whole and fresh foods. My digestion has significantly improved since then, and I'm so happy to have found this dimension.
Also, the endless anxiety has decreased because I'm focusing on things I can do or invest my energies in. I stopped trying to convince people that my idea was good, to please people, and to do everything because I couldn't say no.
Lesson n.2: set your priorities and invest your energies in them
Lesson number 2 is a consequence of the first one: since I let go of the things I can control, I have more energies to invest. So, what are my priorities? The requirements to be a priority changed drastically because I needed to stay away from the old pattern.
Now, a thing becomes a priority if:
I can do it in terms of time, money, and energies
It makes me happy or excited
I want to do it
Lesson n.3: let go of your expectations
Lesson number three is one of my favorites! I used to have the highest expectations with everything, especially with myself. I wanted to be consistently excellent, and I expected others to exceed my expectations. As a result, I often felt disappointed, but the problem was me!
Since resetting my expectations, I gained more friends, and I am happy because I started talking kindly with myself. But my favorite thing about resetting expectations is that I get constantly amused by the little things, and that's the most rewarding thing because my mood always has something to be grateful for.
Lesson n.4: people around you can't read your mind. Speak up
OMG, this is insane! How much time I've spent waiting for someone to understand my thoughts even if I didn't tell them. I couldn't speak up if I needed help, comfort, or something else. I've always wanted to make it independently, but sometimes it's impossible. So, speak up, share your thoughts, ask for help, and include your circle in your life. This will not make you weaker, but your life will be fuller.
Lesson n.5: people around you are different from you. Respect and enjoy it
Lesson number five is one of those that made the most significant difference in my life. During the last year, I gained new friends and felt different in my attitude toward new people. That's because I understood that people around me were other than me, and I started respecting and enjoying it. Mixing lesson number five with lesson number three, I got a new life. As a result, people around me are inspiring, my social life has improved, and I'm more willing to spend time with others. And for an introverted person like me, that's an incredible achievement.
If you can focus on how special are people around you are, they can give you the most beautiful life. Of course, that applies to your family too. I would say especially to your family. My relationship with my parents has evolved since then, and I'm closer to them than ever.
That's all for now. Let me know in the comments below if you want to know more.