How To Let Go - A Beginner's Guide

The response to my last post was pretty overwhelming.  

The comments people left were honest, open, real and wise.  I had people phone me, send me text messages.  I had one friend rearrange her day so she could attend  a seminar she was going to miss out on because of housework!  Through all of your voices the message was clear…

Yes Kristin…we know we have to let go, we just don’t know how! 

Well, I have a few ideas…

It doesn’t matter what letting go means to you, these simple ideas will set you on the right path to a calmer, happier, less stressful life.

1.  Breathe

When I was at the chiropractor last week, she asked me to take a deep breath.  Then she asked me again, like really, a deep breath.  Then she asked me to visualise the breath going all the way down to my stomach.  All I could visualise was a few cobwebs blowing around and maybe a tumble weed rolling through ghost town style.  Shallow breathing, holding your breath…it’s not conducive to staying calm and serene my friends.  We need that lovely fresh oxygen making its way all around our body so things can, you know, work properly.

How to: Each morning, before I get out of bed, I put my hands on my tummy and I take five or six deep breaths.  I try to do this a few times throughout the day.  It’s working, I can feel things softening, tension dissipating.

2.  Live in the moment

Five minutes after opening my eyes in the morning and I’m completely overwhelmed and in a mad rush with everything I have to do.  Listen to how you talk to yourself.  Resist the urge to mental list make.  Write it down if you must but don’t let it be playing in your mind on repeat all day and night.

When I get ahead of myself thinking about all the things I need to do, I get overwhelmed.  I feel tension creeping in to my body, I lose patience with my children and I definitely get my cranky pants on.  I’m trying, instead to just focus on one thing at a time and not be so hung up on having things done by a certain time.  If it’s not done today, it will get done tomorrow.  Or you know, eventually.

How to: When you catch yourself  thinking ahead too far, mental list making or being mean to yourself, stop, take a breath and smile…the power of a smile is amazing…you will look better, feel better and get less wrinkles!

3.  Choose how you spend your time

Be in charge of your own schedule!  Make choices about how you spend your time…this is just an example but for me,   I found preparing dinner a stressful time of day – it’s that hour or two where everything and everyone needs attention.  Now, 4.30-5.30 pm is my time to cook tea.  Television goes off, music goes on, kids go out to play, or sometimes sit at the bench and read to me and I just make dinner.  I feel calmer because I’m not trying to get the washing off the line, make phone calls (and ok, check facebook) I’m just making dinner.  Actually, you can make a pretty nice dinner in an hour.

How to: Take a good look at that ‘to do’ list and cross off the things you don’t feel like doing today …or better still, delegate them to someone else!  Make time to do more of what makes you happy!

Of course there is more…but this is a great start.  I believe it all comes down to anxiety and letting go of what makes us tense…generally speaking… worrying about what people will think of us, say about us, whether we’re doing enough and whether we are doing it well enough.

If all you can manage is the deep breathing you will notice a positive change.  Be kind to yourself, be happy, lighten up, worry less, love more…we will get there.  We will.

Love and light,

mamacino x

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