Sunday, February 24, 2019

Thoughts On Letting Go

How can we finally rid ourselves of the emotional baggage that fear brings us and free up our minds to think about the good stuff?


PUBLISHED February 22, 2019

Dana Stewart was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 at the age of 32. She is the co-founder of a cancer survivorship organization called The Dragonfly Angel Society. She volunteers as an advocate and mentor, focusing on young adults surviving cancer. She enjoys writing about life as a cancer survivor, as well as connecting survivors to the resources, inspirations and stories that have helped her continue to live her best life, available at www.dragonflyangelsociety.com.
I have to brag on how great I am at thinking about letting go of stuff that is weighing me down. The physical stuff—old clothes, books and all the material things that don't bring me joy— I can get rid of in a heartbeat. The mental stuff—the anxiety, fears, worries, etc.—I talk a big talk but never quite rid myself of these things. I'll carry fears with me from years ago, including worries and concerns I had long before cancer. I am really good at thinking about things that are so far in the past that the past has even forgotten about them. It's human nature, sort of, but it can be an extreme detriment to our lives going forward. So, how do we get rid of these emotional bags of fear and free up our minds to think about the good stuff?

In all fairness, I am not all that sure. I have been taking the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach and, well, that hasn't really worked. Everything I have ever wanted to let go of follows me around on a massive baggage cart. I've tried the approach of just saying, "I think I will let go of stuff this year." Here goes the buzzer sound loud and clear—that approach has not worked at all. I now have a baggage handler accompanying me daily because the bags keep piling up.


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