The Art of Rebirth and Letting Go Without Losing Yourself
It is almost impossible to heal without learning to let go. Many think letting go is a harsh act, that it’s cold or abrupt. It can be, the art of cutting ties. But to enact a sudden emotional detachment is challenging and demanding, let alone trying to erase any and everything that came before. But in a Kind Rebirth, that is not necessary nor is it prescribed. Letting go is a humanistic act and requires more loving. To let go is not an abandonment, it is more of an alignment. It is a blessed act of returning home to one’s self.
To hold or to attach yourself to things, ideas, beliefs, or people is natural. It is instinctual. We are prone to carry our memories and versions of ourselves, outgrown dreams, the relationships that helped mold us, the chapters of the books we aren’t ready to close. I bet we hold on because that something inside of us equates releasing with losing. No one wants to lose identity, meaning, or any part of our personal lives that have mattered the most. This is an ego speaking. Letting go doesn’t ask you to deny any part or portion of your past. It does, however, request that you stop carrying the things that have become too heavy to carry as you seek to become the better person a personal rebirth can bring.
Awareness starts with letting go. You may feel it as pressure or a tension in your chest that causes a restlessness in your spirit, an uncomfortable feeling to your well-being. Full transparency, at times it has left me feeling personally and emotionally exhausted. But then, I began to realize that the true letting go involves releasing the things that no longer serve you. It is something your body will feel before your mind has a chance to admit to it.
While a kind rebirth can happen at any moment you choose, whenever you decide it’s appropriate for you, keep this with you. There is no need to rush this process. Your journey is not one for spectators; it is not a performance or a competition. It is often a slow unraveling and disentanglement. The hardest part isn’t always the letting go of a situation, it can simply be hardest as you attempt to let go of the story you’ve attached to it. And by that, I mean, we have settled in our minds that things are supposed to be a certain way or are destined to be a certain way. You’ve become so accustomed to it that it is a version of yourself and your life that you’ve become loyal to. Who you are has become so attached to you and now you can’t see yourself separated from it.
How Do You Move Forward?
Remember this: Letting go becomes easier with time and practice. You can retain the honor and integrity of what has shaped you into form without having to carry it with you for all time. Your past is real and it is yours. Your memories are real and they are yours. Your love is real. Your lessons are real. Letting go should not and does not have to erase what has mattered to you the most. It’s cemented. What letting go does is free you from carrying the emotional burden that has weighed you down for so long. Your future does not prosper well with unnecessary emotional obligation. And just as important (if not more), in a Kind Rebirth, you free yourself from having to relive it and having to reenact it moving forward.
Teach yourself another utopian rule – release the parts of your past that have served their purpose (good, bad, or indifferent) and hold on to the wisdom it imparted on you. Shift your perceived loss into a liberation.
What’s Next?
Part of the act of letting go in a rebirth means forgiving. It also may mean accepting. Furthermore, it may mean that you need to step away from something because it will place you through major heartbreak because the things that once were are no more. When this happens, my best advice is to simply lean in on your mindfulness. Your ability to think mindfully will lead down the path that lets you sit with these emotions without seeking to escape them. You acknowledge the sadness, the pain, the hurt, or the anger that comes with it, but you do not need to act out with negativity. Ideally, your fears are abated and your grief speaks without embarrassment or shame. And when the time comes, you see that you have not lost yourself, you have found rediscovery.
I hope for you (and anyone who faces these obstacles) peace. I hope for you the beauty that comes from learning to let go of something not meant for you for this season. And with that letting go, I foresee the natural instinct to learn to make room for something else, something more fitting. Maybe that’s a new love, a new job, or just a brand new, more positive outlook on the simple things in life. May they open the peace and clarity and wholeness you need to further exemplify a kind rebirth. It’s in this space that renewal is created.
Be patient. Over time, the things that were so heavy to bear will lighten. Clarity will emerge. To let go is not the end of your story, it’s only the prelude to the next. Write your new kind rebirth story with compassion, honesty, and intention. When I mention letting go, don’t let go of yourself; let go of the idea that you cannot be more than who you were.
Stay mindful…
Rebirth
