Have you ever been in that back and forth space where you’re trying to decide whether you should move forward with something or if, instead, you’ve put in all the effort that you should and it’s time to just let it go? I certainly have. Knowing when and if to let something go takes a lot of thought and can be quite stressful to decide. You weigh the pros and cons and go back and forth in your mind. In general, we tend to hold on to things much longer than we should, well past their expiration date. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but it’s often a painful process to sort it all out.
Here are some things that you can do to determine whether or not it’s time to let go of something or someone:
- Decide whether or not you are getting more happiness than tears in the situation.
- Follow your intuition. What does your gut tell you?
- Determine whether or not the activity or relationship is still serving you?
- Figure out what your heart would want you to do.
- Get to the bottom of whether it is something that gives you confidence or lowers your self-esteem. Choose yourself.
- Decide what you might do instead. Maybe something better can come in if you release it.
- Figure out if there is adequate give and take in the situation? Are you getting your fill? If not, it might be time to drop it, or adjust at the very least.
- Decipher whether or not you will regret stepping away from the situation. If you are not sure yet, you need some more time to flesh that out.
- Determine whether you want this same thing in your life 5 or 10 years from now? Does it fit will your goals and dreams? If not, it’s time to release it.
- Ask yourself whether you feel safe and secure in the connection/situation? The answer should be yes and yes if you want to hold on to it.
- Decide if you will regret letting go. Regret can be a heavy feeling so you have to make certain that it is the move that you really want before you take the plunge.
When and if to let something go is a challenging process. So, take the time and energy that you need to make sure that you are investing your time and energy in the right places.