Sometimes we find ourselves holding so tightly to the people we’ve always been. Maybe it’s because we are scared of change or perhaps we are scared to distort or modify other people’s perception of us. There are some parts of us that are so hard wired that even we don’t notice how much baggage we are holding onto that no longer serves us.
As I’ve gotten older some of the layers I’ve put on have become tighter, like clothes that no longer fit. And I’ve started to realize that not all layers that we wear are meant to last forever. Some we grow out of and others no longer serve the people we want to become. I liken it to being a hoarder but not of material things instead of our mistakes, identities, expectations, beliefs and thought processes. Have you ever thought over and over an event or situation that happened in your past? I’m sure we all can do so from time to time. But like Chinese whispers, a memory can become so distorted that even we can’t quite differentiate fact from fiction. But yet we still berate ourselves, trying to change the past whilst wondering why we can’t carve out a different future.
Shedding these layers can be painful, and letting go isn’t an easy process. What layers are you still holding onto? What no longer serves you? Is it a friend, an ex, a job, a mistake? Perhaps some of the layers have become wrapped around others, like tangled scarves or necklaces. Unravelling them will be hard but liberating too. We all wait for a new year as it represents a clean slate. But remember you don’t need the clock to strike at midnight on the 31st December to change. You have the opportunity every single day if you choose to do so.
Some layers have served you and protected you, it’s ok to acknowledge that too. But not all layers will go together, not when we grow and take on new ones.
So, to the layers that are starting to feel a bit tight, maybe it’s time to let them go.
Laura x