Some milestones in life present a more natural time to let go. Those might be at a birthday when you are reflecting on the past year and what you’d like to manifest in the next year, or during major life shifts such as moving into a new home or changing jobs. The new year is another time where it’s powerful to reflect, identify the changes you want, let go, and move forward while embracing those changes.
In this post, we’ll guide you through identifying what you might want to let go of as we welcome in the new year, and ways to let go and move forward with the changes you want in the year ahead.
Identify what you want to let go of
Sometimes it’s obvious what you want to let go of if the year was filled with a specific, difficult situation. However, there is often more to let go of than just a bad relationship or decision. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you identify what you’d like to let go of when reflecting on your year:
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Where did you feel you failed in the last year? Work? Home life? Friendships? Parenting? Self-care?
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What are you still beating yourself up about?
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What self-limiting beliefs do you cling to?
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What particular situations are you still holding onto?
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Where do you feel a sense of lack in your life?
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How satisfying are your relationships? Dating life?
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Is there a particular loss that happened in the last year?
When you can get a comprehensive understanding of what it is that you may hold on to moving into the next phase of life, it’s easier to be intentional about letting go. Start a list of what it is that will no longer serve you during this time of reflection and transition.
Strategies to let go
Letting go is about moving through the stages of grieving, which are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, in order to find closure with any situation in your past. Likely, you are at different stages of grieving any mistakes you may feel you made in the last year. Letting go is about reaching acceptance and forgiving yourself and others for the pain of the past. Finally, letting go is about asking yourself what you would do differently, what are the lessons learned, and committing to those changes in your own heart instead of repeating patterns or getting stuck in stories. When you let go, you have the opportunity to reprogram your default patterns and can recognize the opportunities for growth and expansion in your own life.
Some situations might require a ritual to aid in letting go, while others can be overcome with affirmations and journaling about a situation. Some might even require a phone call to someone to talk through what happened and find mutual understanding. Sharing more about these situations with a friend or loved one can also help you process and move on.
Moving forward
Truly moving forward is an act of self-love and opens the potential for growth. With the help of a therapist, you can get the support you need, as well as accountability, as you move into the new year with a refresh perspective and emotional “clean slate”. We can help you see change as opportunity, and help make change more manageable. Our team can support you during these times of transition and letting go.
At Center for Shared Insight in Denver, Colorado, we regularly see clients who are actively working to overcome limiting beliefs, pain of their past, or hurtful relationships. Contact our team for a free intake and learn more about how therapy can support a new you in the new year.
