In the world of travel, you get all sorts of tips on how to travel light.
If you’re an avid traveler I’m sure you can appreciate the joy and ease of traveling with less baggage.
So why don’t we have a look at how to travel light on your journey through life?
In life, as in travel, having excess baggage will slow you down and stress you out. When you carry things that don’t serve you, you end up wasting time and energy “managing” all the stuff. Thinking about it. Making sure no one steals it. Packing. Unpacking. Carrying the load on and off buses, trains, planes, and elevators.
Phew!
What if you could apply the same principles in life as you do when packing light for a trip? As you might already know, the secret of traveling light is to pack only that which is necessary and useful. Anything else is considered deadweight.
So what about your journey through life then? What is ‘travel light’ in the context of life?
The very same principle applies here. Anything that doesn’t serve you is deadweight and will drain your time and energy. It slows you down and makes for a miserable journey.
If carrying tons of emotional baggage feels so heavy, why can’t we just put it down?
It’s because we think it serves a purpose. On a subconscious level, we believe that someday that heavy load will come in handy. We’re afraid to let go because we believe we are carrying something valuable.
In order to handle emotional baggage, we need to understand what it is.
Emotional baggage is unresolved emotional issues that you carry with you. It’s the guilt, shame, regrets of the past, anger, fear, and worry that you carry with you in your heart and mind. It’s disappointment, rejection, and resentment.
Whoa! That doesn’t sound like something I wanna put in my suitcase!
Yet we do it all the time.
The thing about emotional baggage is that it needs to be processed before you can let it go.
You need to know what it is that you’re carrying, and why. Once you’ve figured out the what and the why you can make a decision about whether or not to put it down for good.
Let’s look at an example to clarify how this works.
Let’s say you’re resentful. Now that you think about it, furious would be a better word! You are furious with your ex-husband for running off with your best friend. It’s been 5 years since your divorce, and still, you can’t stand the sound of his name without having a fit.
Your emotional baggage is full. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you are being weighed down by all the unresolved issues. You tried dating, but images of your ex keep popping up so dating is more distressing than fun right now. You tried burning the stuff he left when he moved out, but the satisfaction of that lasted about an hour. You’re annoyed when you see other happy couples. In short, there’s not a thing in your life that isn’t tainted by the resentment you feel towards your ex.
The baggage is getting heavy. It’s slowing you down and holding you back from enjoying life.
In other words, it’s time to put it down.
The first question you must ask yourself is;
What purpose did my anger serve initially?
When you get angry you know that someone or something violated your values and boundaries. As an initial reaction, this can be useful because it tells you that something isn’t working, and it calls for your attention to do something about it. There are a thousand possible actions you can take, but the most important thing is to seek resolution -not resentment. If you’re angry but don’t do anything to restore the balance, your anger turns into resentment. Resentment is anger that got stuck and turned sour. It’s poison to your mind, body, and soul.
Then ask yourself;
Will holding on to this resentment help me live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life?
(Spoiler alert!) The answer is always no. Resentment serves no purpose.
It won’t change what happened. It won’t change your ex. And it doesn’t make you happy, healthy, and fulfilled. Once you see this clearly, you’re ready to set a deadline for your resentment.
Yep, that’s right, set a deadline for your resentment.
Resentment, guilt, shame, and fear won’t go away unless you make a conscious decision to do something about it. When you give yourself a deadline to stop ruminating and move on, surprising things happen.
You might not get rid of 5 years of resentment overnight, but the fact that you’ve set an intention to stop resenting and start living will be the beginning of a personal transformation.
When you realize that your life and emotional well-being is your responsibility, you are less vulnerable to the whims of others. You don’t have to wait for other’s approval, forgiveness, or apologies.
You’re the one in charge of your baggage. No one can make you carry more than you want. You can choose to put it down anywhere at any time!
What are you carrying around in your baggage? Does it serve a purpose? Does it help you live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life? If not, when will you put it down?
Lots of love,
Marita xx