I am sure you know what it’s like to carry around feelings of guilt, anger, shame, despair, hate, heartbreak or betrayal. All of these feelings are attached to emotions we have from an event, person or experience from our past.We move on with our lives but we often carry with us the emotional baggage from our past. When a new season begins I like to think of it as a new year. In fact, we are in a new equinox which only happens twice a year. When a new Equinox begins it signifies a renewal. It’s a new beginning for every living organism on the planet and beyond. Now, that the Spring equinox has begun, it’s time for an emotional spring cleaning.
What we carry around
I hope you don’t think I am insensitive when I tell you, it’s time to get over it. It’s time for you to stop revisiting the same story over and over again. As much as I am sympathetic with regard to your plights in life, I don’t want to hear about it every time I see you. Trust me, I am not perfect and I have been that person, carrying around the weight of the past. Letting it shine in the present moment. Talking about it as if it happened yesterday. There is nothing wrong with sharing your story. This is how we learn about ourselves and learn from each other. It does take time to heal; respect the healing process. With that said, there will come a time, like right now, when you have to release it into the universe.
A lot of bad things happen, I know. Maybe you are going through a hard time right now. I think your feelings are valid. I want you to feel those feelings but then I want you to release them. Accept that you cannot control what other people do. Further, there are many things that will happen during your life that are beyond your control. It’s a new year now and winter has come to an end. Why are you still thinking or talking about what happened years ago? How is this impacting your life right now? Most likely, it’s holding you back. It’s holding you back from reaching your full potential. The only person who can change this is you. You must focus on what you can change. Fight for yourself to live the best life.
Stop taking your emotional baggage with you everywhere you go. The best way prevent this from happening is to deal with it head-on. Face what hurts and scares you. Don’t bury it deep inside. Find a mentor, counselor or therapist to talk to. There’s no reason to be ashamed of seeking help or guidance. Admitting you can’t do it on your own is a strength. In addition, the discomfort of finding ways for you to heal will outweigh the comfort of living in denial, despair, distrust or anger. If you take a moment and think about it, you will begin to see the areas in your life you have sabotaged because of your emotional baggage.
Why we should set an emotional detox schedule
Check-in on yourself to see how you are doing. Are you repeating the same habits that prevent you from letting go and moving on? There’s no simple fix when it comes to letting go of emotional baggage. It’s a conscious and continuous effort that you have to take accountability for. This is why I actively and continuously work on keeping my emotional baggage on the curb. The people in your life do not have to be sympathetic to your past. Nor is it their responsibility to hold on to it for you. We see this a lot in relationships, where one individual or both parties allow their past to create an invisible wedge between them.
It’s important to be vulnerable in relationships and to share your life stories as a way to connect. The issue arises when you place your emotional baggage onto your significant other. As if it’s their responsibility to heal you. We also use this as an excuse for poor treatment and behaviour. I truly believe that you must love yourself first before you can love someone else. In addition, giving yourself the love you need requires you to do the self-work alone. Therefore, adding days of your week or month where you do emotional check-ins. A time where you can reflect and see what areas need to be improved and what you need to let go.
Map out your emotional cleanse according to the four seasons. You can either start at the beginning or the end of each season. Get a journal and write down your goals for each month. I would say keep it to 3 goals max. Remember, your emotional detox goals run in conjunction with your life goals. It’s important to be realistic and move at a pace you can emotionally handle. For instance, your first goal might be to find a mentor, therapist or counselor who can assist you in this quest. This is a big and intimidating quest for many. There is, unfortunately, a lot stigma that comes with saying “I am seeing a therapist to work on my issues”. You have to remember, it’s no one’s business unless you choose to share.
You can also find great books, which I will share with you soon, that you can use to guide you. Your emotional detox schedule will help you stay on track. It will also help you see if you continue to stay in the same place emotionally. Once you set your goals, you can now put an action plan in motion that will help you finally get rid of all of this emotional weight.
How An Emotional Detox Can Improve Your Life
I want your life to start right now. Darling, I want my life to start right now. Each day I decide not to bring my emotional baggage from the past back into my house or carry it on my back wherever I go. F**k the past. The only good thing about the past is that it teaches you, so you know better. Now you know. So what now? You cannot get what you want in this life if you keep the clutter. The clutter is emotional, it’s people and it’s things. You will be amazed at how much progress you can make once you free yourself emotionally from what no longer serves you.
An emotional detox will not only put your mind at ease, it will also have great benefits for your health. We condition our bodies, we train, we eat well but we often neglect our mind and our heart. Feeling good lives deep within you, no matter how great you may look. We all know the power of our mind. We know that it can be the conductor of our own demise. You hear people talk about enemies as an external force out to get you. But what about the enemy within? What about you? It’s time for you to get your mind right. Commit yourself to an emotional detox and you will see how your life changes within a year. It’s never too late for you to shift your life in a new direction. The only person that’s stopping you, is you.
