Traci Moreno, PsyD

Acceptance, Letting Go & Surrendering

Have you been holding on to negative energy and emotions? If you're ready for your own freedom then it's time to accept, let go and surrender.

I'd like you to think of all of the negative thoughts and emotions you’ve been feeling that have been causing you pain and holding you back in life. You can list them off in your mind or visualize what resembles that pain like a person’s face, a place or a situation.

Our thoughts and emotions create physical energy. Think of the last time you felt an intense emotion like anger, fear or sadness. When we’re in it, experiencing it, we can feel that energy throughout our body. We can tremble, shake, cry or yell. This is how the energy gets released.

That energy is like a thin balloon filled to the max with air but we keep blowing air into it anyway. It’s just a matter of time before that balloon pops to release the pressure. This is what our body does when we’re filled with so much pain. Without releasing any we just keep taking on more pain. Eventually, it’s going to be released one way or another, with or without our consent, appropriately or inappropriately. This is also why we can become physical sick when we’re going through emotional and mental stress. When we don’t process our thoughts and emotions, our unconscious is forced to take over and release the pain for us without our consent and usually in a very inappropriate way that ends up causing us even more problems.

Today we are going to practice the process of acceptance, letting go and surrendering. If you ever need to remember, just recall the acronym:

A-L-S: Accept, Let go, Surrender

This is the key to your emotional and mental freedom!

As you know it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles of life- fears, doubts and insecurities- that we forget what we’re even here for. It’s like when you hold on to anger long enough that you forget why you’re even angry in the first place. It’s silly really and a complete waste of time and a waste of your beautiful, valuable life.

Accepting

Today starts a new day in your beautiful, valuable life. And we’re going to start by accepting the pain and all circumstances surrounding it, because we can’t change or let go of something we don’t first accept. Accepting it doesn’t mean we’re OK with it or that we’re giving up. Accepting it means we are taking responsibility for it and acknowledging it.

By doing this, we empower ourselves. Because instead of that negative energy having control over us, we now take control over it. This gives us the power to change it or let go of it. Are you ready to accept all of the negative thoughts, emotions, and belief systems that I’ve been causing you pain and holding you back in life?

To help guide you through this process I recommend journaling using this writing prompt:

In order to take back my life, this is what I choose to accept.

Write down everything that’s been causing you pain, holding you back in life and limiting your happiness and freedom. Once you're done, don't read it. Think of this as if your purging all the negativity and pain that's been trapped inside of you. Once it's purged, you don't want to put it back inside of you by reading it. Instead, you will purge and let it go.

Letting Go

Letting go is a conscious process that take a conscious effort. You have to choose to let go. However. this is not just a mental process. This process is most effective when we let it go from the mind, body and the spirit. Here are some ways you can release and let go from each one:

MIND

Make the decision to let go and commit to it.
Repeat affirmations or a mantra to help you stay focused on the goal of letting go. It can be as simple as repeating the phrase, "let go." Or it can be something more specific that you connect with like, "I'm taking back my power," "Letting go is the key to my freedom." This is a simple way to reprogram any previous belief system that encouraged us to hold on to the pain such as believing that if we let go we lose our power. Say these daily and often. The more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it.
Find your motivation for letting go. Journal or make a list of why you want to let go, how it will help you or change your life, along with what the consequences could be if you don't let go. Write this in your phone or email it to yourself. Keep this with you as a reminder when you need it.

BODY

Engage in activities that will physically allow you to release the emotional energy. Any activity where your body is moving is good. This good be anything from playing a sport or exercising to walking the dog, stretching at home or dancing around your room when no one's watching.
Use breathing techniques to regulate your body's physiological responses.
Practice Heart Coherence.
Yoga! Do any type of yoga. Research shows that yoga can even be better than therapy!
Engage in healthy coping skills, self-care activities and self-love.
Be kind to your body. Appreciate what your body does for you. Hydrate. Eat a balanced diet.

SPIRIT

Practice grounding exercises.
Meditate
Connect and listen to your intuition.
Do a burning ceremony anytime you purge your pain by journaling and symbolically allow the fire to let go of the pain. You can also do this by ripping up the paper or deleting it electronically.
Ask your Angels, Spirit Guides, G-d or the Universe to help you let go and to take the pain from you.
Pray. Set intentions. Practice gratitude.
Have Faith. Trust.

Surrendering

The divine gift of being able to surrender is one of the most powerful. Surrendering is not giving up. In fact, it’s just the opposite. You will never give up. You’ll always work hard towards your goals. Surrendering can help you believe, have hope, trust and faith that we can overcome anything, everything and accomplish what we work hard to achieve.

Surrendering allows us to go with the flow, be flexible and embrace change.

When you surrender, a magical transformation happens. Negative energy that once fought against you can be transformed into positive energy, which can now keep you safe, protect you, support you and love you.

Putting A-L-S into Practice

As you reflect on this new state of being, here are some affirmations to start with:

No matter what challenges come my way, I will accept, let go and surrender.
I know that my path to freedom, happiness, and love is through acceptance, letting go and surrendering
I accept myself exactly as I am.
I accept my problems and circumstances, so that I can overcome them.
I let go of negative energy.
I let go of pain.
I let go of everything holding me back
I surrender to accept safety, protection, support, and love in my life.
I believe in myself.
I trust myself.
I have hope and faith in me.
I am true to myself.