Embrace the New Year: Letting Go for a Fresh Start in 2024
Many New Years resolutions are about bringing new things into our lives. Things like starting to exercise, eat more healthy foods, spend more time with friends, or start a new career. Those are all great, but perhaps we need to clear out some old things in order to let new things in.
Have you been carrying around some things that are holding you back from being the best version of yourself?
What are some things you can let go of?
Here are some suggestions:
FEAR -
Fear can take on many forms. Fear of being alone, fear of messing up, fear of looking stupid, fear of failure, fear of losing someone. The list is long and extensive and can hold you back from living a happy, meaningful life.
What would your life look like if you let go of fear?
Would you make a career change?
Would you quit that job?
Get out of that relationship?
Move somewhere else?
Make this the year you LET GO of being afraid.
Be bold, be fearless, be unstoppable.
GUILT -
Guilt is such a complex emotion. It can paralyze us and keep us trapped in negativity.
What do you feel guilty over?
A mistake you made in the past?
Not being the best parent?
Failed relationships?
Poor financial decisions?
I give you permission to forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know. Guilt gives us a reason to punish ourselves and can make us believe we don’t deserve to be happy. Interestingly, guilt is always over something that occurred in the past. You can’t change it. Let’s make this the year you let go of guilt and choose to move forward.
You are not your mistakes and it’s not too late.
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS -
This can come in several forms. It can be self doubt, those internal thoughts that can talk you out of almost anything.
Thoughts like:
I’m not good enough
I’m not smart enough,
I can’t,
It’s too hard,
they won’t like me.
Have you ever noticed that you say things to yourself you would never say to a friend? Let’s challenge those thoughts. Put the negative thought on trial. What makes the thought true? What evidence do you have? Most likely, the answer is NONE. Remember this:
Just because you think it doesn’t make it true
I have all sorts of stupid thoughts go through my head all day long. My brain can be a scary place! I’m glad most of my thoughts have no bearing on facts or reality. They are figments of my imagination, and nothing more. They hold no power over me. So why do we give so much power to our self doubt?
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS can also be about situations or people.
Have you met those people who always manage to find something negative to say?
Did you know we have something called “negativity bias”? it’s an old survival skill because we used to live in a dangerous world where we had to perceive threat all around us to stay alive. Fortunately, most of us don’t live like that, but our brains are still trained to seek out the negative. We have to train our brain to look for the positive. Think about this:
In any situation or person there are both good and bad aspects.
You choose which to focus on
We have just been conditioned to look for the bad. Just look at the news..
What would your life look like if you focused on the positive instead of the negative?
In your job,
your relationships,
yourself
Make 2024 the year you LET GO of what no longer serves you and embrace the life that’s waiting for you.
If you think you need help with letting go of the past contact Carrie Raap at R+ Therapy in Tucson, AZ. Carrie is an online therapist with more than 20 years experience. She is an expert in behavior change. Her therapeutic specialties include relationships, stress management, coping, making positive changes and anxiety. She has numerous credentials, including a Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) and a license in clinical social work (LCSW). She has several virtual options to improve your mental health including online courses, individual therapy, free resources, and a new mental wellness membership.