If you were to stop and think about all of the negative things to detach yourself from, you might have quite a long list. We’re constantly bombarded with negative messages, false beliefs, harmful self-talk, painful emotions and then some on a daily basis. It’s exhausting to ruminate over these negative thoughts and memories, but we still do it for some reason. As difficult as it might be to let go, these negative thoughts and beliefs can hold you back from happiness and achieving your goals. If you feel you are ready to let go of this negativity and get on with embracing the future, consider these 9 negative things to detach yourself from.
If you were to constantly worry about what everyone thought of you and your actions, you could quite literally be paralyzed with fear. While the opinions of others are important up to a point, you are in charge of your life so don’t let anyone else control it. Worrying about the opinions of others is one of the top negative things to detach yourself from so you can learn to trust your gut, take risks and have confidence in yourself.
I have a bad habit of worrying about things excessively, but really, it accomplishes nothing and only wastes time and energy. There is a quote by Dr. Leo Buscaglia that reads, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” There’s nothing wrong with planning ahead, but worrying about something that you have no control over or cannot do anything about will not help the situation, and you’ve spent a perfectly good day feeling distraught and upset.
I’m sure we all have areas in our lives we’d like to improve and it’s good to have goals. But, if you spend a lot of your time reminding yourself of all the mistakes you’ve made, bad choices and so on, it makes it very hard to move forward. It’s okay to make mistakes, forgive and accept yourself just the way you are. You deserved to be loved, not only by others but by yourself as well.
Another negative thing to let go of is changing yourself for the approval of others. Do you feel like you need to act a certain way around certain individuals? Allow yourself to be you and don’t feel like you need to present yourself any other way. You can be well-liked and successful without having to put up an act. You are unique in your own way and it would be a shame to not let your true self shine through just for the sake of others.
Ungratefulness can be ugly. There’s no worse feeling than trying your best to do something, only for the gesture to go unnoticed or unappreciated. It’s also uncool to have a thankless attitude where you don’t appreciate what you have. Life might not always be gummi bears and rainbows, but we all have things to be grateful for, right?
Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, go back to school or travel around the world, making excuses isn’t going to help you accomplish those goals. The more excuses you make, the more regrets you’ll have. Don’t be afraid to take the first step to accomplish your goal! If you really want something bad enough, you won’t let anything hold you back.
I think we can all agree that we all make mistakes in life. No one is perfect and being that we are human and prone to mistakes, it’s imperative that we learn to forgive ourselves of our past mistakes and learn from them. There’s no need to continue to beat yourself up over it; just do what you can to correct the mistake and move on.
In most instances, we don’t have the whole story when it comes to others. Even if it appears like your friend seems to have the best luck in the world, chances are, she worked hard to get where she is. Even the happiest, most positive people have bad days; they just don’t let it affect them. Don’t assume that you’re the only one struggling. Everyone encounters obstacles, it just depends on how you decide to respond to them.
Comparing yourself to others is a losing battle. Just like thinking that everyone has it easier than you, what people present on the outside isn’t always an accurate reflection of what’s going on inside. You have certain qualities and talents for a reason. There will always be someone else who is taller, thinner, smarter, faster or more attractive. Constantly comparing yourself to others only damages yours sense of self and breeds self-hate.
Did you relate to any of these negative things to detach yourself from? I know I did, and while it’s not easy to just let go of these things, it can be done. No one should have to go through life feeling like they’re never good enough or being afraid to be their true self.