8 Signs you are ready to LET GO.

Have you ever known that it was time to let go? How did you know?

Or have you looked back and realized that somehow, you have let something go?

We all know the things you can let go of...

A past love.
A relationship that just wasn’t working well anymore.
An unfulfilling job.
A beloved deceased person or pet.
A home that was right for so long, but is no longer right.
A city that gave you everything you needed when you moved there and now almost seems to be pushing you out.
An idea that you or things “needed” to be a certain way.

Sometimes letting go just happens without us looking. More often it is a choice, a process. Letting go is moving forward into what we want as doors shut behind us.

Ah, the fear of the shut door. Yup, we all know that one. It’s like being a little kid again, getting tucked in at night. The fear is like is the wanting for the day to continue on for fear we might miss something if we say goodnight. We beg our parents to stay be next to us, for the light to stay on. Somehow the light, our parents staying, the day lingering it will protect us, so we request ‘can’t we just leave the door open a little bit?’

You can. As an adult you can leave the door open a little bit, not fully letting go of the day or the thing you wanted to let go of. But (and it's a big But) leaving the door open to what is no longer right for us takes up space in our minds, in our hearts. It is an attempt to hold on to what was rather than what is.

Ok, if you are curious about the signs you are ready to let go – read on.

In honor of upcoming Fall, the ultimate season to make moves and let some shit go here are 8 signs you are ready to let go.

1.  Because, Fall. Fall is the prime season for letting go.

Yup, nature rules and this season will almost force you to let go of something no matter how big or small. I know, I know. It’s literally your favorite season but you hate how the light has to get dark. Ironic right? You love the season’s holidays and some feeling that pops up this time of year. But at the same time you already MISS summer like crazy.

Well, as the days shorten our focus starts to shift from outward (activities, adventures, vacations, BBQs) to inwards (our routines, how we care for ourselves, the ways to nourish ourselves, perhaps even old grief or emotional stuff). Nostalgia…. Yeah, that’s that old emotional stuff reminding you that it’s still there. That’s ok by the way, but if you’re ready, fall is there for you. It’s the perfect season to L-E-T G-O.

“In the fall, the trees show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go…”

2. You have been feeling stuck, unmotivated

Maybe - Your job has been the same for years. You love the routine and the support and the people, but the drama, and the repetition it’s just not motivating anymore.

Maybe - You’ve been in the same home for awhile, you love it, every corner is precisely yours. But at the same time you wish you had a new space to create for.

Maybe – You just can’t get yourself to take care of yourself. You used to exercise, cook foryourself, do healthy things… but it Just. Ain’t. Happening.

3. You feel like you are carrying an invisible backpack of rocks

Ugh. Is this depression?

Nah, it doesn’t feel quite that severe, but shit is hard.

Days feel long and treacherous and like you just wish you be on the couch to binge watch Netflix and social media. Forget creative projects or doing new things.

You wish you could put the backpack down, but it just feels heavy, all the time.

4. Some physical symptoms are popping up in your body

Got the emotional blahs?

What about low energy, lethargy, and achiness?

Some of it is Lung stuff, low immunity, sadness, lingering colds, asthma, skin symptoms.

Or maybe some of it is Large Intestine, weird bowel movements, bloating, skin symptoms.

Yup, our bodies are wiser than our minds. If things feel out of balance, it’s time to let go.

5. Whether it’s an ex, a death, a job, a home, a city – you know it’s time for the next thing.

You miss what is gone. Or even preemptively miss what you want to leave. But the heart-achiness is no way to fill your heart or time. You just know, something has got to go, and part of that means you have to let it. You wish you were like that cartoon ice queen princess Elsa – let it go…

via GIPHY

 

6.  IT – (the thing you want to let go) you can finally appreciate all the things you loved about it

This is a good sign. This usually means that you are past some of the immediate phases of bitterness, or pure grief.  Your fondness will likely not end entirely, but it means that you’re not squishing down lots of anger or grief to resurfacing later. The love is real, and can be a part of the letting go process.

7. The space that loss has left open doesn’t feel quite as frightening

The place that has felt like emptiness now feels like a blank canvas, full of potential and ready to be painted. You are ready, you’re so ready to shut that door. You can’t wait for the next thing. It’s like being a kid, getting tucked in and finally being old enough to not be afraid of the dark. Or being so ready for the nighttime and your dreams.

8. The next good / big thing feels right on the other side of that door.

After all something really good comes after something really bad. You can’t see what’s next but you feel it coming.

So letting go can be hard. Let’s work together to make it easier. Offering Seasonal Intuitive sessions, Acupuncture + Health Coaching Sessions (the links take you to schedule).

If you identified with any of these signs you’re ready to let go. Somehow someway.

On Being Sick & A Holistic Perfectionist

I hate being sick.

It's hard for me to rest and sleep when my body is telling me to slow down. Every time some new symptoms show up in my body I try to diagnose myself. My acupuncturist - herbalist- practitioner brain tries desperately to figure out what the quickest (holistic) fix is.

Even after 7 years of being in Chinese Medicine, I still struggle in my own body that sometimes it doesn't work perfectly.

While I struggle with this holistic perfectionism, ultimately being sick has taught me how to be a better practitioner. I was a pretty healthy kid, but I got really sick when I was 14. After the fall semester of vigorous training for the crew team, I got strep throat over winter break. I remember the moment I felt it. It was the day after Christmas and I was sitting on the floor of the waiting room at Emergency. My cousins, aunts, uncles and parents were all there.  My grandmother, who we were visiting, had had a little stroke and was in the hospital. I was exhausted, my body hurt all over and it hurt to swallow. I got antibiotics, "recovered" and went back to school and life. Then I got the flu. I can't remember if I got better, but I know I got a second round of strep throat. (I now know that when there are consecutive rounds of strep throat it is usually the same bacteria that never goes away and is waiting for the correct circumstance to come back - if this is happening to you, let's talk and we can put you on herbs and probiotics to get your body back)

The result of being consecutively sick for two months at the age of 14 was that I was tired all the time. My stomach hurt constantly and random symptoms would pop up, achy-ness, headaches...you name it. 

I didn't have energy to keep on keepin' on. I also began to have allergies for the first time in my life and that summer. When I was outside enjoying the heat of summer nights getting bit by mosquitos the bites turned into hard swollen knots the size of tennis balls, my immunity was shot.

I switched from full time at High School to part time home teaching and part time going to school. I was embarrassed about not being able to be a "normal" teenager, and even my best friends couldn't totally understand why I was constantly missing class and not around like everyone else.

Being sick really changed my life. All of a sudden, at the age of 14, I had to treat my body with special care.

I was a teenager, moderation was the last thing I was interested in. I spent high school not doing sports, doing way less activity than my peers and just trying to be "normal". I got better, I was able to do school and weekend fun. But I wasn't doing all the after school stuff of sports or clubs or other stuff, I didn't have capacity. 

I left my life behind when I went to college in New York. I had recovered enough and had a pretty successfully healthy college experience. But depletion began to rear its ugly head in my senior year. I started having blackouts. (not the drinking kind). I went to a couple MD's who didn't have much to say or do about it. I was left terrified and confused. This began my journey with acupuncture.

As a child, I was deeply afraid of needles. I would turn green when I would get my blood drawn and feel faint when getting shots. Feeling stranded by western medicine and wanting an answer to why i was having blackouts, my acupuncturist was such a ray of light. She asked me about my period, what the quality of blood was, what color it was, if I got cramps. She asked me about my digestion and appetite. When she needled me I could feel sensation up and down the channels. 

Finding a diagnosis - even in Chinese medicine felt reassuring and like I wasn't simply crazy. This was the beginning of my dive into Chinese Medicine and becoming an acupuncturist.

My health history is complex and confusing and sub-medical. I have never been able to find help or answers from MDs. Even when I have visible symptoms on my body, my vital signs, blood levels and every test come back completely within the normal range.

This experience has given me a keen eye. As a practitioner I see through lots of layers and information and stay curious about what the root of an issue could be. Experiencing lackluster doctors has given me the motivation to truly seek help for my patients so they continue to improve.

With all the health issues I have dealt with I have learned a lot. And sometimes, I still get sick, or have weird symptoms. What I have found that no matter how healthy I get, there can always be something that happens to my body.

It does not make me a failure to be a human who gets sick, doesn't feel well, and doesn't always know how to fix herself. 

Whenever I get healthier I tend to push my body in different ways. Sometimes this causes new symptoms. My self-care practice is better than it ever has been. My overall health is the best it has been in 15 years. And I continue to work on the fact that I am a human and finding holistic solutions to immediately fix myself does not make me a better person. 

If you have been a holistic perfectionist - come join me in this journey. Being hard on ourselves does not help us to heal.

I am letting go.

I am forgiving myself.

I am making space to be a human.