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Washington | Wellness

Little Guide to Letting Go

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Sritha Sivaramakrishnan Student Contributor, University of Washington - Seattle
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As the leaves fall and grow, I do too.

Letting go of things is super hard, especially if you have already lost things in the past. However, after letting go of things time and time again, I have a list of things you can check off to see if you’re ready to let things go- a guide if you will.

Disclaimer: this is not therapeutic advice of any sort. These are just things from my personal life that I thought I’d share. 

What makes me qualified to put this list together?

I have moved countries, cities, and schools way too many times. Moving physically restricts the amount of baggage you can carry. So, #1 on my list is feeling no regret when you look at the amount of artifacts you own. These can be anything from receipts and boxes of stickers to clothes and furniture. If you’d previously attached a memory to it and now that memory is tainted with growth and revelations, you need to find a way to look at it and say, “What a ride” instead of “Ugh, I hate it.”

What does this mean? 

Step one to letting go is realizing you’re ready. 

Now moving a lot also means finding new friends and communities to be a part of. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to keep things together, people outgrow their relationships. You probably did outgrow some at some point, too!

Step two is accepting changes and humans for who they are. 

I realized I had no problems outgrowing relationships but I did take it very personally when someone outgrew their relationship with mine. So what did I do? Become a control freak in my relationships of course! However, these uncertainties are what make life… life (ugh I know). So embracing changes instead of resisting it helps loosen control and flow through relationships graciously. 

Step three is let loose. 

All these experiences have taught me something extremely important: protecting my peace is not selfish. This might be the highest form of self love too. Loving yourself enough to let go of things is an extremely powerful act one can only master when they start respecting themselves. It’s a “listen to your mind and not heart” sort of situation where despite your poor little heart begging you to stay in this relationship, your mind tells you “they’ve hurt you over and over again so leave” and it IS correct. It is tough but I’ve learned that my body and mind are wired to keep myself alive no matter what and if I don’t respect it, who will? 

So, there you go! My little guide to letting go.

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Sritha Sivaramakrishnan

Washington '24

Sritha is a writer for HER Campus at the University of Washington, where she contributes articles that highlight student life, wellness, and campus culture. With a passion for storytelling, Sri aims to inspire and inform her peers through engaging and relatable content. She is pursuing a double major in Economics and Biology with a focus on Physiology, and her involvement on campus extends to roles in leadership, healthcare, and community service. When she’s not writing, Sri enjoys exploring new activities and ideas that broaden her perspective and help her make a positive impact on those around her.