All too often, we get stuck in our heads. We begin to think about a daunting task, a challenging situation or a conversation we need to have with someone, and we turn it into something bigger than it needs to be. This happens whether we are in the depths of our grief journey or not. It happens to everyone, but what can we do differently to alleviate the stress, emotional upheaval and worry that we bring upon ourselves through this experience?
We let it go.
And I’m not talking the lighthearted Frozen-type “Let it Go.” I’m talking full heart, full mind, full soul letting go and trusting that when we hand the situation over to God, all of our challenges work out without stress, without challenge and with absolute ease. Now, notice I did not mention effort in that list. Some things do require effort, but it is the difference between daily effort and daily struggle. When we hold on too tightly and worry about something, it creates struggle. When we let go and trust the situation will resolve as planned, it tends to work out faster and come out better than we ever could have possibly imagined.
Here’s my example of this for the week. For the past 3 years, I’ve been filing for my Angel Birthdays trademark. I’m in the final stage of completing all of the pieces I need to officially own the Angel Birthdays trademark. One of my dreams has been to have Angel Birthdays greeting cards because I know how healing it felt to receive the many cards that I did from people after my losses. It seemed only natural to bring Angel Birthdays’ healing presence there too. However, in order to file for the trademark, I had to actually produce the card. While this might be simple for some people, I can tell you my talents lie elsewhere. I am not an artist. I am often crying and struggling when on the computer, and I think my children’s arts & crafts skills far surpass my own. For weeks, I’ve held onto this challenge. I’ve tried talking to graphic designer friends. I’ve tried painting my own card. I’ve watched countless videos and infomercials on how to create a greeting card. Let me tell you, I held on TIGHT to this one!!! This struggle has been constant for several months now until this past Monday. After my cloud painting fail, I let it go. I finally truly let go with my heart and my soul and with everything thing I had, I surrendered. I said, “OK God, you know what I have to do. How do you want me to do this? I have no idea how this is supposed to come about.” Then, I saw an image in my head of the angel picture I circulated a few weeks ago and realized I own that photograph and could use it for my card. I added some wording and was able to put it up on Etsy all within a day.
There was no struggle or stress. There was effort, but there was no more intensity around it. There was no more hold-my-breath worry over how it would come to pass. I relaxed and let go and it turned out more beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined. But sometimes it’s really hard to fully let go.
So, we are going to do an exercise this week to help us release our stuggle. Think about what you want to let go of right tnow. Imagine holding onto it tightly in your hands and then wrap your arms around your body and tighten your body as tight as your can. Curl yourself into a ball if that works for you too. Hold on as tightly as you can to this idea, circumstance or project. Take a deep breath and hold your breath around it too and when you feel ready, exhale with the greatest amount of power you can and let your whole body release it. Feel yourself truly let go from your head to your heart to your toes and then pay attention to those sacred moments that follow. Do you see any pictures in your head? Do you have any thoughts in your head that might be the very solution to the problem you are looking to solve? That’s the goodness right there. The few moments right after you surrender, that’s when you look for the answer, the direction, the love and support. It’s always around us, but sometimes we have to do an exercise like this to force us to pause and really listen. The answers were there all along. We were just too busy solving the problem to hear the true answer.
That’s the thing about letting go, no matter what it is. Whatever we are trying to accomplish or heal, once we let go, it will always turn out better than we ever would have dreamed with less struggle or pain. I hear people say all the time “get out of your own way and you’ll find the answer.” But what I really figured that out this week was that the only way to get out of your own way is to trust and know that when you move, something far greater and wiser will gladly step in and solve the problem.
Here’s my proof that letting go can lead to beautiful and wonderful things. Here’s my Angel Birthdays Sympathy Card.
What did you let go of this week?
What have you been struggling to let go of? Share with us down below. There may be someone struggling with the very same thing.
Sending big love to you!
Love and Blessings, Erin