Exhale

 

                                                (image:youtube.com)

Bijai an mabug-at. There are things we consider as burdens in our lives. We oftentimes cannot move forward due to these heavy loads. We have to discard these from pinning us down. The hate, the toxic individuals bringing us down, the emotional hang-ups that we have won’t allow us to have a smooth journey. And based on the things that we observe lately, we can indeed say that we must move forward. Life is short.

"We are all carrying backpacks that we continually load up. We keep stuffing them full until one day, they can’t zip and the stuff starts spilling out all over the place."

While carrying past experiences (and the emotions that came with them) may help us better navigate future experiences, they also take a toll on our health. One study found that emotional baggage can be a real barrier to making healthy lifestyle changes (like exercising more, eating healthier or quitting smoking). “Participants described being burdened by an emotional baggage with problems from childhood and/or with family, work and social life issues,” found the study (Steinhilber, 2018).

If you do recognize some of these emotions or behaviors in yourself, the next step is determining the underlying cause. Emotional baggage is as unique to each person as the suitcase they pack it in.

In most cases, these emotional burdens come from people – those who hurt, insult, belittle and disrespect us. We are often affected by their “power” over us not realizing that we have the hold of that power. If we won’t ALLOW ourselves to be hurt by fortifying ourselves by accepting our own strengths and blessings, we can stay away from the toxic world others are creating.

“Entitlement is an expression of conditional love. Nobody is ever entitled to your love. You always have a right to protect your mental, emotional, and physical well-being by removing yourself from toxic people and circumstances.” -Dr. Janice Anderson & Kiersten Anderson

You deserve to know you are worthwhile. Try to remember that things will get better and that anything is possible. This means self-care, goal setting, surrounding yourself with positive support, and feeling a sense of peace. Your greatest ambition should be to love yourself. Without self-love, letting go of toxic people will be difficult.

It is time to breathe. It is time to heal. It is time to see the rainbow waiting for us. Let us not be burdened with the negative deeds of others. Give it to them. Allow them to wallow in their own murk. Let us PROCEED.