What’s holding you back?
Clinging to toxic relationships, grief, or control over outcomes can trap you. Surrendering—releasing expectations—unlocks emotional freedom and inner peace.
Here’s why it’s hard, its benefits, and how to practice it.
Why Letting Go Is Hard
Why is it so hard to let go? Why do we cling to that which no longer serves us?
Letting go is hard because our ego, craving approval, clings to drama. I saw this in a co-worker who became bitter under stress, rejecting solutions. Attachment to outcomes creates suffering, as spiritual author Eckhart Tolle writes in The Power of Now: “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness.” Society often pushes us to “never give up,” but that can be the worst approach when it traps us in pain.
The Benefits of Letting Go
Living in the present means accepting life as it unfolds—good, bad, or mundane. This reduces stress by letting go of the need for things to be different.
• Impermanence Brings Peace: Buddha taught that everything is impermanent, helping you find peace by trusting life’s natural flow.
• Spiritual Alignment: Surrendering opens you to spiritual awareness, trusting that challenges are part of God’s plan.
• Workplace Impact: At work, letting go of the need to control a difficult colleague or an uncertain career path reduces stress, helping you stay open to unexpected opportunities, like a new project or connection.
Practical Ways to Practice Surrender
So, how can you start surrendering? Try these practices to release thoughts and emotions that no longer serve you:
Self-Awareness
Reflect on what drives your actions. Are you pursuing a new role from ego-driven ambition or alignment with your true purpose? Be honest—sometimes ego hides behind good intentions.
Mindful Breathing
For 5–10 minutes, close your eyes and observe your thoughts without judgment, like watching a parade. Then, breathe deeply: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 8 to relax. It’s in the exhale that the magic of relaxation starts to take hold.
Journaling
I also recommend journaling, which is a spiritual practice. It’s a prayerful act. It doesn’t have to be long. This practice involves writing down what you are feeling, thinking and going through. The act of writing helps you see your problems in a different perspective.
Write down a situation you can’t control, like a family conflict. Ask for divine wisdom to guide your responses and list three ways you can act with love and trust. Don’t judge your writing. Just write!
Surrender Affirmation
Pray daily, or during anxious moments, repeating: “I surrender my burdens to You, trusting your plan for my life.” I’m Christian, so I release my burdens to Christ. You can replace Christ with your own individual faith (ex. Buddha). You can also repeat, “thy will be done.” If you’re not religious, affirm: “I release what I can’t control to the universe.”
Repeat this frequently during anxious moments to cultivate divine peace.
Summary
What burden will you surrender today? Try mindful breathing or journaling this week and share your experience in the comments! Surrendering isn’t defeat—it’s a sacred trust in life’s flow.
