Have you ever felt that holding onto thought patterns holds you back? These default mindsets and emotional responses can get in the way of moving forward and growing as a problem solver. Practicing mindfulness gives us tools to build new neural pathways by noticing and releasing our thoughts and feelings - we allow them to be exactly as they are and let them go.
How Does Release Help You?
Processing and releasing our emotions, judgments, expectations, and more helps us better connect with ourselves and others. We are able to be present with reduced bias and increased awareness to communicate more clearly and listen more openly. We can invite this mindset in on a daily basis and when resolving conflicts. Letting go can also increase our creativity as we're more receptive to new and different ideas. If we're able to move beyond our emotions, we're able to focus better on immediate tasks and increase our productivity. These practices ultimately reduce our bias and anxiety.
How To Practice Release
Practicing release is closely tied to a mindfulness practice - you are more able to recognize where your mind or emotions get stuck, acknowledge them as they are, and move forward.
Practice gratitude
Realign your nervous system with breath work
Write in a journal
Talk to a friend, a therapist, or yourself - focus conversations on letting go, rather than convincing someone of your position or increasing your emotional response
Move your body
My Favorite Practice
I practice release in two ways when I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed. Sometimes, I need to acknowledge and feel my emotions before I am able to release them. This looks like noticing the responses in my body exactly as they are and inviting in breathe work. Sometimes, I also need to tap into external processing by talking through my thoughts - getting them into the world helps me let them go.