A time to let go. And a time to expand.

Instead of focusing on letting go, it can help to focus on expanding the space around that pain or discomfort. I like to imagine a bubble. Expanding and letting more light and energy in. Till the pain only occupies a small portion of that bubble. When we do this, we don’t get rid of the pain, rather, it becomes smaller and less consuming. It’s pulls in other emotions, namely love, and is balanced by this.

There’s a time to let go and a time to expand. I find if it’s an emotion, to focus on expansion. But if it’s a thought cycle or past memory running through our heads, to work toward letting that go (namely, letting go of the part of our identities that are dependent on that). These two scenarios often occur simultaneously. We have the thought that causes the emotion. And so we practice letting go of that thought or experience (as Eckhart Tolle says “die to the past every moment”) and then expanding the bubble around the emotion to allow space for other emotions and feelings to come in.

Often times, especially around painful situations, we contract and close ourselves off. We don’t want to risk being open. We don’t feel we can handle any more pain. But when we contract, there’s no space for healing. Healing comes through love, softness, trust.

It’s not to rid ourselves of the pain. It’s to allow for an expanded space that holds a balance of emotions, ultimately leading to fuller, deeper way of being.

Sometimes it is too much to do on our own and we need someone to hold the space and walk us through it. Though I believe the strength to move mountains exists within each of us, sometimes we don’t feel it or know how to access and trust it. And that’s ok too. We’re on this journey together we’re here to hold and help each other through it.