The Art of Letting Go

A Reflection on Grief, Growth, and the Energetic Power of Letting Go

As I prepare to move across the country in a few weeks, I’ve found myself doing more than just packing boxes. I’m sifting through layers of my past and letting go of physical items I’ve held onto for years. And with those items, I’m also releasing the energy and emotions they’ve carried.

Photo taken by me somewhere in the Okanagan Valley

This move is big. I’m only taking what I need and nothing more. The furniture, clothes I no longer wear, and keepsakes are being donated, discarded, or recycled. And in this process, I’ve discovered something I didn’t expect: Grief.

Each time I sit down to go through a bin, a drawer, or a dusty old box, it feels almost like I’m going through someone’s belongings after they’ve passed….only that someone is me. The version of me who kept those things. The version who once found meaning in them. 

And now, I’m saying goodbye to most of it. And it hasn’t been easy. 

Reflecting and Releasing

I’ve found myself holding items, looking at old photos and sitting in silence, just remembering. Sometimes crying, and sometimes smiling while reflecting on those past moments. But I know with each item I release, I’m also making space. Not just in my home, but also in my energy. And in my soul.

Some of the things I’ve kept for years, and as I looked at them I wondered why I was still holding onto most of it. At one time these things held meaning. But once I really thought about it, I realized these objects were acting as energetic anchors, keeping me tied to a past I no longer live in. A past I no longer resonate with. I’ve changed so much. I’ve grown and evolved. The person who needed those reminders doesn’t exist anymore. So I let it all go. 

And the letting go has been happening in layers.

I’ve already gone through some of this stuff a couple of weeks ago and chosen what to keep, and what to toss. But now, I find myself revisiting those "keep" piles and letting go of even more. The deeper I go, the more space I find. Not just in my surroundings, but within myself.

"You can't reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk."

- Louise Smith

The Part of My Past I Buried in a Bin  

One bin in particular brought me face to face with memories I hadn’t physically touched in years, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. 

At the bottom of that bin I found reminders of my former career in Corrections, which is a chapter of my life I’ve worked hard to close. I had no idea this stuff was at the bottom of that bin when I opened it, so I figured I must have buried those items years ago thinking I would never have to see them again.

So without any hesitation at all, I got rid of every single item. It felt so good, and so necessary to let it go. 

And I realized something afterwards. The memories that were attached to those items would have once been a huge trigger for me. They would have dragged me into the past in the form of flashbacks. But that didn’t happen. After I discarded those items, the realization hit me….the emotional charge from that part of my career no longer existed in the way it once did. That heavy energy I once carried has shifted, transmuted, and been cleared away. And I am so grateful for that. 

Recalibrating 

This process of letting go has been so much more than just physical. 

It’s energetic. 

It’s emotional. 

And it’s spiritual. 

It’s the clearing of stagnant energy that no longer belongs in the life I’m creating. Especially the energy tied to the city I’ve been living in, a place where I no longer feel safe, and haven’t for a very long time. I wrote more about that in When Healing is More Than an Inside Job. 

Letting go of these material objects has brought an undeniable energetic shift. After clearing out the reminders from my past career, I felt kind of heavy, exhausted and even a little unwell for a couple of days. But I knew what was happening. I was recalibrating. My energy was reorganizing itself to match this next version of me. 

And when the exhaustion passed, I felt lighter, clearer, and more at peace.

"Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor - it's anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living." - Peter Walsh

Some of these things were not easy to part with. I had saved so many things that had once felt meaningful. I had a box full of my daughter’s old drawings, paintings, handmade birthday and Mother’s Day cards, and school work from the early years. I let most of it go, but I have to admit that I kept a couple of those items, and I think it’s because they carry a bit of her youthful energy.

I’m not done sorting through it all just yet, and I know more shifts are on the horizon. But I welcome them. I welcome the release because with each item I let go of, I am also letting go of who I thought I had to be back then. And I’m opening up more space for who I’m becoming.

I’ve also learned that while releasing these things has been a difficult process, it’s just stuff. It’s stuff that has memories attached to it, but just because I’ve let that stuff go doesn't mean the memories go with it. Those memories are in my heart and soul to revisit anytime I like, and releasing the physical objects does not take those memories away. 

Higher Guidance 

This move feels like so much more than just a relocation. My soul has been guiding me towards this for a very long time. I always knew on some level that I wanted to live in the Okanagan Valley, even before I ever visited and knew what it felt like there. 

Nine years ago I went for the first time with the thought that if it’s somewhere I want to live one day I should probably go and check it out. And when I did, I fell in love with surroundings, the way the energy and air felt, and the way I felt while I was there.

I know no place is perfect and every city has its unique challenges. I’m not expecting a fairytale…just a chance to live in a place where my nervous system feels safe and I’m not afraid to walk out my door. 

A place where there’s not a trigger around every corner. 

A place where the pace of life is a little less chaotic, and where I can feel more relaxed and at ease. 

A place that feels more aligned with the life I’m stepping into. 

“Your soul will be pulled to the place it belongs.” - Unknown

So with every pile I donate, with every bag I release, I am sending a message to the Universe…I am ready. I am willing. I am stepping fully into the next version of myself. The one that is untethered, open-hearted, and free.

With all that being said, it will still be difficult to say goodbye to the people I love. But my journey has taught me that we’re never really saying goodbye because on an energetic level, the people we love are always with us.

What about you?

Have you ever experienced a season of deep release? One where letting go of the physical also meant letting go of an old version of yourself?

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to share in the comments, or simply take a quiet moment to reflect on what you might be ready to release.

Sometimes, the things we’re holding onto are the very things that are holding us back.

So, let this be a reminder for us….we are allowed to let go. We are allowed to begin again. And we are worthy of the life that’s waiting for us on the other side of letting go.

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