I don’t know about you, but I find something so therapeutic about rituals. Be it daily rituals--like morning yoga, or practicing gratitude--or rituals that stem from specific events or dates.
This year, I wanted to incorporate some sort of ritual into my New Year’s celebration so instead of just sipping bubbles and blasting Adele, we included a sort of “cleansing” ritual into our night. Don't worry, there was still plenty of bubbles, and endless Adele.
I found it so helpful in preparing my mind for the new year that I wanted to share it with you. It’s not too late for you to hold your own mini-ceremony of letting go.
Here’s how it went down:
I sat with one of my closest friends, and we each wrote a list of all the things we wanted to leave behind in 2015.
All the things we wanted to release, or let go of.
Here are some examples of things you might write:
- Resentment towards ______ for _______.
- Bad habits that don’t serve me, like _______.
- Laziness
- Limiting thoughts about myself like _______.
- Attachment towards ______ [insert person, thing, etc.]
Once we had our list, we read them aloud to each other.
Side note: I made sure to do this with someone that I trust, who I knew would be comfortable getting just as vulnerable as I did, and also would not pass judgement on the things I wanted to release. I mean, this shit was personal.
One thing I didn’t anticipate was how different our lists would be! That being said, both of us felt inspired to add to our own lists new things stemming from items that the other person had shared.
So once we read our lists out loud, (and took a big gulp of champagne) we headed outside to burn those bad boys!
This is where the “release” part really comes in. We did not take pictures of our lists or document them in a journal.
The point was to get them out, then burn them up and let them disintegrate both in front of our eyes, and in our minds and hearts.
We felt lighter instantly.
Just as you clean house to make room for new additions, it’s good to cleanse your soul every once in a while to make room for new thoughts and feelings that promote the things you want for yourself.
We’re only 2 days in, it’s definitely not too late to hold your own “letting go” ritual. If you’ve set new goals, or resolutions for the coming year, I highly encourage you to make room for those new positive vibes by sending off any old, un-productive feelings or habits into the ether.
Bon voyage bad ju-ju! Hello to a happier, healthier you.
Wishing you the best start to a new year!