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Day 1 of New Year, Fresh Start! : ReleaseĀ and letĀ go
Welcome to the 5th edition of my New Year, Fresh Start 7-Day Challenge! This week is all about taking action to start 2024 strong. Take the time to do everything even if it takes you the whole of January! Every day, you will be given a task to do that will contribute to that fresh start. Each day will make a difference in your life if you do the work. Ā There is no better moment thanĀ this liminal time between the end of a year and the beginning of another to release beliefs, thoughts, stories, pain, grief, resentment, shame, guilt and other negativeĀ feelings that keep us stuck in prison while life carries on without our full attention. This is not the way we deserve to live our lives. Ā Our mind is often cluttered with
recurrentĀ thoughts, things that bother us and yet we hang onto them as if we were possessed by them. Maybe it is something that happened to us that we canāt seem to accept, forgive or move on from, something we did/say or didnāt do/say, a place, a person or a lifestyle we have lost, a mistake we made, a belief about ourselves that doesnāt sit well with us, something someone does to us repeatedly, etc. These thoughts grow into obstacles and cloud the good things in our lives. We have to let
them go, or at the very least, turn them into passing thoughts that we can quickly push away when they arise. Ā We need to: - be aware of all these thoughts,
- dispute them,
- reject them.
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1Awareness Sit comfortably, and make sure you are not going to be disturbed ā this means warning people you live with and leaving all electronic devices in another room.
Breathe OUT deeply and slowly, then let your breath come back in naturally. This is the opposite of the usual way of taking deep breaths. Repeat several times, starting with that long breath out, until you feel relaxed and centered. Check that all your muscles are relaxed including your hands, shoulders and jaws. Stay very still and let your thoughts ponder on the topic of letting go. What or who needs to be let go from your life? These are things, situations, thoughts, beliefs, feelings and
people that bring grief and negativity. Let your mind wander where it wants so that you become aware of all the thoughts that are bringing negative emotions. Let the feelings travel though you ā anger, resentment, disappointment, disapproval, disgust, indignation, sadness, fatigue, shame. Acknowledge them but do not stay stuck on one emotion and move on to another thought. Allow 5-10 minutes. Next, sit up and
take a great, huge breath in, filling in your lungs quickly, then let it out naturally, without forcing. Repeat 5 times. This should re-energize you. Ā Ā 2Disputing Ā Now take your journal or a piece of paper and write without judgement what or who you need to let go from your life. Please do not let feelings take hold of you at this time. This is a time to be resolute in your decision to let go of what is not helpful and what doesnāt contribute to a good quality of life. This should be a short exercise, it couldĀ be just a list with one sentence for each item
giving a good reason why this thing/event/person/thought/feeling has to go. Keep these three questions in mind: - Does it make sense to hold on to this thought/feeling/belief/thing?
- Does holding on to this thought/feeling/belief/thing contribute to my efforts to create a good life for myself?
- Do I deserve to keep being
hurt by this thought/feeling/person/event/loss?
Ā Ā 3Rejecting Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Now that you are clear about letting these thoughts/feelings go, you need to find ways to ādistractā yourself from them. For instance, whenever you start ruminating, you could just say āNo, thank you, Iām not going there anymore!ā and direct your attention towards something else immediately. Put on some uplifting music or an interesting podcast, have a little dance party in the kitchen, go on a photo-walk, read a good novel or make a new spread in your art
journal. Then go and do something productive, something that you will be glad you did, even if it just dusting or hoovering. The idea is to send the signal to your brain that every time it goes there, you will be actively rejecting it. This is not the time to go on social media or journalĀ as these tend to arise strong emotions.
This could be the most important thing you do to start the new year anew. Spend the time necessary to do this activity, and repeat it any time you think of other things you need to process. Ā Bonus
pointsĀ Today (and tomorrow) is the perfect time to let go of a few items that drain your energy every time you see them. Maybe you keep them because of the money they cost or because they came from someone who mattered, but nowadays, seeing them makes you feel bad. Do not hesitate for another minute! Go and chuck them in the bin or put them by the front door for someone else to collect them. Ideally, you want them physically out of the
house by tomorrow midnight so youĀ don't start the new year with them, but if you only get to do that in the first few days of January, it is still amazing. It will change the energy in your home. Ā It could also be paperwork that has been piling up in the last few weeks or some returns/exchanges from Christmas. You don't want to start the new year with anything outstanding. You could also cancel a subscription that you
do not take advantage of.Ā Ā What can you let go of? Ā Ā Iāll āseeā you tomorrow!
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Ā You can read any previous letter in the archiveĀ hereĀ .
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I work with bright women like you who can picture the life they desire but canāt quite get there.
Very often, it is a matter of setting up new routines and habits so that you get done what matters to you and reconnect with the best version of yourself. Ā Ā
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