Let Go by Monica Gelinas

One of my favorite experiences as a life coach was my Flourishing Skills Group with high school teen girls. 

One particular week, we tackled mind chatter.

First of all, we became silent and listened to our thoughts.

We noticed the kind of thoughts we were having and learned the difference between worry thoughts and judgment thoughts, both of which keep us from problem solving.

As I shared the science behind our thoughts and how to train our brains to create new paths for a growth mindset I noticed the magnitude of the “judgment” thoughts hammering my own mind. 

I noticed second guessing thoughts, self-doubt thoughts and some worry thoughts. 

This self-awareness was tucked in my mind as we continued the session. 

The girls did a stellar job of noticing the harmful thoughts and reframing them with strategic sentences to answer back to their judgment and worry mind chatter. They are learning mental mastery.

As they shared their intentions for the week, one of the girls said:

“I will let go.” 

We learned that the awareness of our thoughts and the reframing were tools to enable us to let go and show up in the world the way we intend. 

Let go of what I cannot control.

Let go of thoughts that don’t serve me.

Let go of unrealistic expectations.

Let go of striving.

Let go of distractions so I can be in the present moment.

Let go of toxic behaviors or relationships. 

At the end of each day, I ask myself, “What do I want to let go of, so I can wake up with a fresh start?”

Sometimes letting go brings tears, sometimes letting go brings celebration with dancing, but letting go always brings: 

FREEDOM! 

Ready to silence your mind chatter and find your freedom? Just like the girls in Monica Gelinas' powerful CC4C blog post discovered, you too can learn to recognize and reframe harmful thoughts.

Take action today

• Start your own "letting go" practice: At the end of each day, ask yourself, "What do I want to let go of?"

• Join the CC4C community: Learn more about their programs and how they empower young minds.

• Begin to practice mindfulness: Start listening to your thoughts and categorize them as worry or judgement, and begin to reframe them.

Find your freedom. Let go.