(Part 3 of 5 Part Self-Reflection Series)

02 January 2024

Welcome to this five-part series on how to make meaningful changes in your life using self-reflection. This is part three of the five-part article series on using self-reflection to make meaningful changes in life. So, if you have missed any previous articles in the series to just go to the links at the bottom of this article to find them. 

Many people who are suffering from emotional pain are often consoled with the expression "time will heal your wound" and as a result, a lot of people have accepted that very soon, time will wipe away their fear, guilt, sadness, anger, and anguish. Nevertheless, not everyone is fortunate to find their wounds healed by time. A lot of people find it difficult to move on or let go at a particular point in their lives, irrespective of the fact that the passage of time is likely to ease one's pain a bit. For us to heal more quickly, it's crucial that we do something to help ourselves because it's what we do with time that changes us, and time itself isn't what changes us. For us to move towards a happier and more fulfilling life, here are a few things we can do.

1. Counsel yourself to let go and move on.                         

You need to brace yourself to let go. You can't continue living as a slave of the past. For you to let go, you must decide that you must move forward and have it registered in your mind that some people are not a part of your destiny, even if they may be a part of your history.

2. Go out with friends or family. 

If you're finding it difficult to let go and move on, you can find solace and comfort from your friends and family. You can gain a fresh and different perspective on things when you go out with the people you love and share how you feel with them. They’ll give you the listening ears you need and help to revive your energy.

3. Learn a new skill.

At times, one of the reasons why you find it difficult to let go is because you're not busy. Rather than wasting time brooding over what you should actually let go of, get involved in the process of learning. With this, you'll even get to see new opportunities to take advantage of, you'll gain different viewpoints to explore, and you'll also grow and learn.

4. Engage in a physical activity.

When you find it difficult to let go, you can engage in any form of exercise, be it yoga or aerobics. Exercise can lower symptoms that are related to mild depression and anxieties, improve your mood, increase your self-confidence, and boost your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters.

5. Plan a Trip.

Treat yourself to a scenic difference and escape from your surroundings for a month or maybe a week. Things will not become right when you confine yourself and you can feel quite better when you change the environment.

6. Explore new avenues and see new people.

See, it's because you're still holding on tightly to what you should let go of that makes you think you can't be better, or things can't get better than this. There are tons of people you can invite into your life and the world always has lots of new things to offer you. Meeting new people and going out is a great way to move on. Try to encourage yourself to meet new people — you can join a special interest group, get involved in community activities, or join a networking group.

7. Cry it out.

When you find it difficult to let go, crying can be very helpful, and it can as well serve to flush out negative chemicals in your body. Nevertheless, take note that the idea isn't just to cry and keep crying. Once you're done crying, clean your face, get up, and bask in the understanding that life goes on and there are still more exciting events awaiting you.

8. Forgive.

For you to be free to move on, you need to forgive the universe, forgive yourself, and forgive others. Whenever you want to let go and move on, you cannot shrug back the need to forgive because it's very essential. And just as Steve Maraboli had said, you cannot move forward if you fail to see that the situation is over, forgive the situation, forgive yourself, and let go.

9. Accept the situation.

Acceptance opens liberation doors to you. You'll find peace when you accept what you can't change and what has happened. When you try to fight to change things, you'll make yourself suffer more damage and sorrow because before you can unlock the door to happiness, you must accept things as they are. You'll be able to make improvements to yourself, take control of your life, and stop hurting when you accept.

10.  Use a creative outlet to express your feelings. 

There are diverse creative means you can explore to transform your negative emotions.  The negative emotions that are lingering in you can be combated by your creativity. From painting to blogging and vlogging, and others, find whatever is best appealing to you and use it to express or release your feelings.

Previous Related Articles:

Part 1 - Seven Core Principles for Reflection

Part 2 - 7 Ways to let go and Live a Happy Life

Part 4 - 15 Practical Ways to Start Working on Self-Improvement

Part 5 - 10 Simple Ways to Make Self Improvement That Will Change Your Life