In autumn we see the concept of ‘letting go’ beautifully illustrated through the trees and falling leaves. But it's not as simple when it comes to our mental health. We wanted to share some great advice on the subject of letting go from Carolyn Jess-Cooke’s 4-week online WriteWell course, Creating Calm.
A key component of creating calm in our lives is letting go of things that do not serve us, or simply putting something aside until we have replenished our energies sufficiently to take action in a healthy, positive way.
It sounds so simple, and yet is often difficult in practice. It’s a little like decluttering your home – every once in a while, a good clear out is necessary to create more space and organisation.
So it is with our inner world. We can carry around grudges, old hurts, negative beliefs and self-criticism without realising it – a lot of baggage that can weigh us down.
Here’s a writing exercise that you can do in just 5-10 minutes with a pen and paper, a Word doc or the Notes app.
Complete the following sentences, thinking about one piece of baggage weighing you down.
-
- ‘Right now, I am…’
- ‘Right now, I let go of…’
- ‘As I let go, I feel…’
- ‘As I reflect, I know…’
- ‘As I move forwards, I will…’
Pay attention to your feelings, thoughts and senses as you go through. Write freely, be gentle with yourself and remember it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Come back to this anytime you need help letting go of negative beliefs and thoughts.
This writing prompt is taken from WriteWell’s four-week online writing for wellbeing course, Creating Calm, led by author and academic Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Find out more or come chat to us any time: enquiries@writewellcommunity.com.
