With the end of one year, another one begins; becoming introspective happens for many of us. What worked last year may not be good for you this year. Not everyone we had in our life in 2023 is meant to follow us into 2024. We have those who suck the energy right out of a room and out of us, but letting go isn’t easy. It’s easier to look into a new year dragging our baggage with us because it is a “known” in the “unknown,” however, it’s not always the best idea. So, how do you enter the year ahead while letting go of relationships that aren’t adding to your life? I am so glad you asked!
Closing the Door or Turning the Page…
One of the hardest things we do in our lifetime is say goodbye to those we love. Some of those goodbyes are permanent due to death, and some have to be permanent for our own state of mind. Reining in toxic relationships is for your sanity and mental health. Closing the door or turning the page on a friendship is something you have control over and is in your hands to decide when a person hurts you more than they love you. Let them go in the new year, and you’ll feel a weight lift off of you.
Find Happiness in What Things Are and Not in What You Want Them to Be
Many times we find or make ourselves unhappy by pushing and searching for a glimmer of what we want things to be and not accepting things as they truly are. Accepting life as is and not as you wish it was is hard because hope springs eternal. You never want to give up on someone turning things around and being as you think they should be, but no one changes unless they see an issue with their behavior. You can’t fix them, but you can remove yourself from the situation.
Just Like Your Computer, Everything Works Better if Unplugged for a Bit
Almost everything will work better if you unplug it for a little while, including YOU! It’s not necessary to wallow in a bad relationship and keep beating yourself up for not being able to figure out who or what needs to change to make it work. Walk away for a day and see if you feel better; if so, try a week, etc. Just because a relationship worked in 2023, doesn’t mean it will work for the new year or for a lifetime.
Finding Joy in the New Year
The secret to getting ahead in life or in entering the new year with a different perspective, is to focus your energy not on fixing and fighting the old of 2023, but on building and growing something new. People are experts at getting bogged down and falling into a rut, but picking yourself up and moving on takes determination and courage which you have within yourself.
Storms Come and Go
When times get tough with people, we usually pray for the storm to calm…please let this pass, so we can move on from here. Let’s hurry up and make it through this time to get to the other side of whatever mess we find ourselves in at the moment. While the storm will eventually pass, you can’t control the length of time the storm swirls around you, but you can control the calm you have in the storm. Don’t get swept up in the chaos going on around you; take time to just sit in quiet and meditate and/or pray. I find getting closer and stronger in my faith helps me with every storm that comes.
The day you understand everything and see things as they are, is the day you stop trying to figure it all out. Peace and freedom come the day you let everything go that takes your peace away and claim that you can and will make changes to see things and people as they are.
