There’s something both beautiful and brutal about the idea of letting go. We talk about it like it’s a single action like clicking “delete” or taking out the rubbish. But in real life, letting go isn’t clean. It’s not tidy. It’s not even always voluntary.
That’s why I appreciated reading “The Psychology of Letting Go” over at Meditation Brainwaves.
It doesn’t sugarcoat it. It doesn’t wrap “letting go” in sparkles or serve it with a side of toxic positivity. Instead, it digs into the very human reasons why it’s so hard and why it’s also one of the most liberating things we can do for ourselves.
Let’s take a look at what the article gets right, and why it might just help you loosen your grip a little too.
Letting Go: More Than Just Moving On
The article explores the psychological grip that attachment has on us. Whether it’s people, ideas, routines, or identities, we often hold on because it gives us a sense of stability even if what we’re holding on to is causing us pain.
There’s a part of the article that really resonated with me: the idea that our minds are wired to avoid uncertainty. Letting go means stepping into that unknown. No more familiar suffering, no more predictable patterns. And while that can lead to growth, it first feels a lot like groundlessness.
It also points out that letting go is not about apathy or giving up. It’s about acceptance. Accepting that something is no longer serving you. Accepting that life, in its essence, is always changing. It’s not resignation, it’s release.
My Take: The Tightrope Between Control and Trust
Letting go, for me, feels like trying to walk a tightrope between control and trust. I’ve held on to thoughts, habits, even old versions of myself, long after their expiry date simply because they were familiar.
But over time, I’ve learned that holding tight doesn’t bring peace. It brings pressure. It clenches the jaw, hardens the shoulders, closes the heart.
Letting go, on the other hand, feels like exhaling. Like softening. Like finally unclenching your fist after a long day. It doesn’t mean you stop caring, it means you stop carrying what isn’t yours to hold anymore.
It reminds me of that old Zen story about two monks crossing a river. One helps a woman across, even though it’s against their vows. Hours later, the other monk is still fuming. The first monk turns to him and says, “I put her down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?”
How many things do we carry long after we’ve passed the moment?
Why It Matters Now More Than Ever
In this world of endless scrolling and mental clutter, we’re bombarded with reasons to hold on to old arguments, to idealized images of how life “should” be, to fear dressed up as control.
But if we want to live with any sense of peace, we need to get better at putting things down. Making space. Not for some imagined perfection but for what’s real and here.
If you’re struggling to let go of something (a grudge, a habit, a version of yourself) know that it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Letting go is less like dropping a rock and more like slowly unravelling a knot.
Breath by breath. Choice by choice.
Here’s the full article: The Psychology of Letting Go — it’s well worth the read.
If this topic hits close to home, take it as a quiet nudge. Not to force anything, but to notice what you’re still holding, and ask yourself if it’s time to begin setting it down.
Even just a little.
