Ann

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Letting Go

"How much do we need to let go of?" a friend asked one day.

"I'm not certain," I replied, "but maybe everything."

Letting go is a spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical process, a sometimes mysterious metaphysical process of releasing to God and the Universe that which we are clinging to so tightly.

We let go of our grasp on people, outcomes, ideas, feelings, wants, needs, desires - everything. We let go of trying to control our progress in recovery. Yes, it's important to acknowledge and accept what we want and what we want to happen. But it's equally important to follow through by letting go.

Letting go is the action part of faith. It is a behavior that gives God and the Universe permission to send us what we're meant to have.

Letting go means we acknowledge that hanging on so tightly isn't helping to solve the problem, change the person, or get the outcome we desire. It isn't helping us. In fact, we learn that hanging on often blocks us from getting what we want and need.

Who are we to say that things aren't happening exactly as they need to happen?

There is magic in letting go. Sometimes we get what we want soon after we let go. Sometimes it takes longer. Sometimes the specific outcome we desire doesn't happen. Something better does.

Letting go sets us free and connects us to our Source.

Letting go creates the optimum environment for the best possible outcomes and solutions.

Today, I will relax. I will let go of that which is upsetting me the most. I will trust that by letting go, I have started the wheels in motion for things to work out in the best possible way.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Ann

How very hard it was for me to let go of anything. Fear stopped me, I was afraid if I let go the world would fall apart, my addict would sink deeper into his disease and that I would lose all control of my life.

What an awakening it was when I discovered that none of these things were in my control, never had been. It was all an illusion that I had the power to change outcomes, the power to control another human being, that I had the power to take the ugliness of addiction and make the world a beautiful place for everyone to live. That's God's job and when I got out of the way, amazing things happened.

Today I look at what I am trying to control. If it doesn't have my name written all over it, I don't own it. I have learned to do my best and let God do the rest and how freeing that is for me.

Hugs

imallright

I struggle with letting go vs. giving up. Intellectually, I get that whatever is going to happen is going to happen and that I can't control it, but I struggle with the pain of "if I do nothing to change a situation then I am in the same spot." I know I have to take care of me and I can change how I react, respond, etc. but... do I continue to reach out and continue to get a reaction I don't want or do I simply stop doing and let the world go where it may???

Add the whole issue of addcition and the insanity it causes the equation and then I really get upside down. : (

Ideas, thoughts, support????

blizzard77

I've realized that although I let go of my husband in the physical sense (by having him leave and move 650miles away) I never let go in the emotional sense in that I kept in contact with him. In doing that I was stuck and left with sadness when my expectations didn't happen. I am trying really hard to maintain no contact and in doing that I will have fully let go of him to do with his life as he chooses without me on the sidelines calling the plays and cheering him on in an attempt to change him or make him want to change. He's always had me to turn to when he was sad or lonely or depressed, but he was never there for me when I was feeling that way. Thank you for this post Ann. I needed a reminder today of why I was doing what I was doing and feeling guilt free for doing it.