Taking Things In Stride

Learning to take things in stride is not an easy thing for me.  I am told that I overthink things, that I feel things too deeply, that I should just have more fun… because it is all about the fun… isn’t it?  Life is supposed to be fun and playful.  But it often is not like that at all.

It comes down to being able to let go and release anything that weighs you down, that does not lift you higher, that does not serve your greater purpose of spirit.  It always comes down to letting go and releasing.  Why is it that everywhere we look there are messages about letting go?  Magazine articles, blog posts, facebook feeds and pages, even Oprah all have messages about letting go, freeing yourself of what is not for your greater good, releasing negative things from your life.  It is because most of us are terrible at doing this.  We have no idea how to remove ourselves emotionally from things that hurt us and keep us from moving forward on our path.  We have these patterns of belief, mythologies about our lives and the people and things in them.  And we just can’t seem to shake ourselves loose.  So we look for inspiration and help, support and guidance to lead us to the secret of how to release the pain, live more in joy, and take things in stride.

Another big message is that everything is a practice. We practice gratitude, meditation, loving kindness, and forgiveness, to name just a few.  We even practice breathing.  So what if we practiced letting go, releasing that thing that is bringing us down, bringing us pain, bringing us to our knees?  Maybe it is an idea that you have that makes you feel irritated or angry, maybe it is a particular chore that you don’t like or want to do anymore, maybe it is a bigger, more intense dynamic – something to do with your work, or family, or relationship.  The “practice” is to work on it until you make peace with yourself about it.   Making peace also means releasing your expectation, letting go of your programmed emotional response, and in essence reprogramming your beliefs.

What I have found is that it is the holding on to emotional baggage that then produces a physical response to those emotions – anxiety, depression, sadness, and then actual physical pain too.  When you hold on to something that is not good for you, you risk your health on every level.  The whole body knows when there is negative energy and it is in harms way.  So you have to be able to hear that message, and honor it, allowing yourself to embrace the complexity of what you feel in your soul.  And then take that step – set an intention and practice letting go of all that is not love.  Let the release transform the way that you think and react.  Because when you let go of all the things that are plaguing you, you can be happy, you can find the joy, and you will be able to see life as more playful, in every stride you take.

Jill Alman-Bernstein

Jill Alman-Bernstein is an Intuitive Empowerment Coach, Soul Realignment Practitioner, inspirational writer, freelance editor and writer’s coach, deep sea soul diver, mother, and mermaid. She is the creator of the platform I Must Be A Mermaid focusing on inspiration, empowerment, personal growth, and transformation.

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