Letting go and holding on is paradoxical. They appear to be opposites, but they’re not. In fact, one cannot exist without the other. Both letting go and holding on are essential for a good, simple, meaningful life to continue.
Letting go and holding on are two sides of the same coin. So often, we think of these actions as opposites — one is a passive, pessimistic action, while the other is an active, optimistic action.
We tend to associate letting go with giving up and not caring about something anymore, whereas holding on means we care so much that we won’t let anything or anyone get in our way. Letting go means releasing unhelpful or negative thoughts and emotions and embracing healthy ones instead.
It also means detaching yourself from people, places, objects, and situations that don’t serve your highest good. Holding on means recognising those things that do serve your highest good, those things you want to keep in your life forever.
Letting go is an art that few people know how to practice well. It’s also something that many of us need to learn fast if we want to live stress-free and emotionally healthy lives. Stress is directly related to holding on too tightly.
We need a balance between letting go and holding on so we can find peace in our lives once again. Letting go doesn’t mean you stop caring — it means you start caring about more meaningful things than the things you let go of so that your time and energy is spent more wisely going forward.
Letting go feels like a natural part of life and something that can’t be controlled or influenced. It just happens. However, the famous saying ‘you must know how to hold on tight and let go at the right moment’ implies that there is more to it than meets the eye.
Letting go isn’t just about releasing your grasp on something; it requires careful consideration, control, and execution. But why? Letting go has many benefits. It eases stress, improves your circulation, helps you sleep better, and leaves you with more time for yourself.
All of these are excellent reasons to get acquainted with letting go as an art — because no one is meant to stay in this process forever. At some point, holding on tight and letting go will be necessary for the good of your well-being.
One of the most important things you can do to let go is to recognise your limitations. You must accept that you cannot do everything yourself and that there are things you cannot control.
When you understand these limitations, it will become easier to accept that you cannot change some things and need to accept them. You also must learn how to forgive yourself and others for inevitable mistakes.
For example, if someone makes a mistake, you should not blame or take your frustrations on them without thinking through the causes and effects. Instead, try to understand why they made this decision and how it might have affected them somehow.
By accepting this reality and forgiving yourself and others for mistakes, you will be able to let go of your anger and frustration.
Lao Tzu’s teachings have inspired people for centuries. The Tao Te Ching, like other sages before it, has its share of wisdom on how to let go.
“The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your grievance about the past can do that. What is grievance? The baggage of old thought and emotion,” says Lao Tzu.
Letting go is central to living an emotionally free life. Letting go is a major tenet of Stoicism, which holds that the true path to happiness lies in refining our ability to detach from desire and anxiety.