Release

Oh, December! What a mix of emotions this month tends to bring us. The joy of the holidays is so exciting and filled with warm feelings, great company, decadent food, and gifts of many varieties. This is also the month where the weather gets colder and the amount of sunlight in the days gets shorter. It can seem daunting and be a hard time of the year for a lot of us. December 21st marks the shortest day of the year and the winter solstice. However, the next day, there is promise, as the sunlight slowly begins to make its return, lengthening every day, leading us into the spring.

As the trees lose the last of their leaves and become bare, we can learn something valuable from them. By letting go and releasing what no longer serves us, we are much lighter and may feel a sense of relief. We can gain new insight to what really matters and what is meant to be. So, what does letting go mean exactly? Maybe it’s as simple as getting rid of an old sweater you haven’t worn in years or more complex like holding a grudge towards a relative. We can determine what to let go of by taking a deeper look into ourselves as a whole. What emotions, thoughts, perceptions, situations, people, or jobs have you been hanging onto? Now is a good time to reflect on this and assess what you have going on and what is or isn’t serving a purpose. This realignment allows us to head into the new year with openness, positivity, and meaningful goals.

Just like everything else, with practice, it’ll get easier to figure out what and how to release. Some forms of release may include yoga, meditation, journaling, and connecting with nature. Or maybe consider other health modalities like reiki, massage therapy, sound healing, coaching, counseling, therapy, and similar practices that would support your wellbeing and allow you to release. Undoing these patterns and beliefs may take time, and the feelings of relief will mean something different from person to person.

A good place to start could be taking the time to identify one or two things that you can set down and take off of your plate. Noticing what is too heavy for us to carry physically, emotionally, or spiritually and just letting it go. Create an imaginary box or maybe a physical one and say sayonara! Maybe in the future you can revisit it in greater detail, for now take only what you can carry. Here are some examples of what you could let go of: things outside of our control, wanting more things and stuff, past mistakes or experiences that have happened, unrealistic expectations, perfectionism, unhealthy habits, toxic relationships, or maybe comparing ourselves to others.

So let’s take this step forward into December, and make our lives a little lighter and easier. As the saying goes, out with the old and in with the new. We can say goodbye to old regrets and ideas, and embrace the next chapter of life. We’ll put in the effort to let go of our negative thoughts and stress to make room for what life has to offer us next. Some things are out of our control, like the leaves falling, yet we will stay strong like the trees and wait for the growth that will come in the coming months. Sometimes it’s best to release and let go, and trust in the good things to come.