Dear reader,
Let's be real here. Do you have a hard time letting go? I did. Here is my story.
A few nights ago, I was standing in the shower reminiscing on my past hurts with tears streaming down my face. Painful scenarios replayed through my mind repeatedly, and I almost became lost in the abyss of my own thoughts. Thankfully, at just the right time, I experienced an "Ah!" moment, which led me to smile through my tears and I began to feel emotional freedom.
Are you wondering about the "Ah!" moment and what I learned in that moment underneath the shower stream? I’ll tell you. Close your eyes and imagine the most beautiful bird that you’ve ever seen. He has the most striking colors and he fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.
Follow these next steps:
Extend your hand with your palm facing upward.
Imagine a bird gently landing in your hand. How did you feel?
Did the bird's little claws tickle your palm?
Or did you feel tiny little pokes and prickles?
Take your other hand and cover the bird to secure him.
What did the bird do in the safe space that you created? Squirm?
Did the bird lose its feathers during his fight to escape your hands?
Did you hear the bird make noises?
When the bird squirmed forcefully, attempting to escape, how did you feel?
Fearful?
Create an escape for the bird by removing your top hand.
What did you see?
What did the bird do?
Do you want to know what powerful lesson I learned from this beautiful and colorful bird?
The bird represents the emotional pain, life lessons, certain people, and specific situations.
The hands represent me, my mind, and my soul.
When the bird landed in my hand, it tickled. When he began fluttering to try and escape, his little claws poked me continuously.
The feeling of being tickled and poked represents the physical reaction of remembering the emotional pain, life lessons, or certain people/situations. Examples of physical response could be headaches, body aches, stomach pains, etc.
When I imagined the bird covered by both of my hands, the bird began making a shrilling sound and chirping loudly. It was clear the bird was not happy.
The sounds represent your screams, tears, and cries in the moments of your pain.
When the bird began squirming forcefully to escape my hands, my entire body began inadvertently moving because I didn’t want to be pecked and bitten by the bird while he was in distress!
This represents the memories. They seem to take over your body and you fear the thought of going through the pain again.
I was in fear because I was uncertain of what the bird would do next.
This represents my retreat to isolation to avoid the pain.
When I finally allowed the bird to escape, he didn’t take off soaring. No, he landed on the ground first. The bird appeared injured - but I continued to observe him. The beautiful bird strolled to the green grass to take a short break - but as suddenly as he escaped, he then flew away, beautifully and safely. He’d only needed that break to recalibrate from the stress of overworking its wings during his attempt to escape.
This represents how it felt for me when I decided to mentally release the memory of the painful events. I was tired and emotionally drained. After a good night's sleep, I was able to enjoy my day feeling the freedom!
Reader, letting go does wonders for your mental and physical health. It is so important to pay attention to your body's reactions to holding onto pain. You cannot heal and move forward if you replay the events. It is a time-waster. It does not make the problem/situation better. Everything done in the past is history. Move forward and think about the new things you can achieve. Go and do something fun for yourself! Know what I did? I baked yummy and delicious homemade apple walnut muffins!
You matter. You are much more important than your pain. From your life stories, you will be able to inspire and help others.
Love and hugs,
Ana
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