Detachment enhances our mental health. It is the Language for Letting Go

At times, I become obsessed with outcomes. “What will happen?”, “What will not happen?”, “What if (fill in the blank) happens?” As I used to ruminate on outcomes, I soon realize I am wasting my time and life by letting my thoughts spiral with “what ifs.”

Some of us may have experienced anxiety when we messaged someone, and they did not reply on our preferred timeline. Many of us have applied for a job we desired earnestly, and we may have experienced anxiety while waiting to hear back. Others have become too involved with the issues of their romantic partners, friends, and family.

Detachment helps you to let go of fears attached to outcomes, people, and situations. It helps you to live your life independent from outcomes. If either as an optimist or a Pessimist, you will accept that you do not have ultimate control over life; hence, an optimist will positively try to maximize every outcome in their life.

 Detachment helps you live peacefully instead of frantically and anxiously. Whenever you are anxious, this is your feeling’s way of telling you that you are out of balance and too attached to potential outcomes. Worrying does not resolve situations or produce outcomes any quicker.

Let go of everything that has a negative hold on you or that you are too attached to.

Relationships

Some people often try to force things to work in their relationships. Some of us try to keep holding all the pieces together. We try to keep fitting a piece of the puzzle in the wrong place. We try to rebirth pieces of relationships and people that have been lost and broken for years. But, there comes a time when our hearts, souls, minds, spirits, and bodies cannot take any more pain, resistance, nor effort. Once we reach this point in our lives, we can finally let go. After we let go, we are then opening ourselves up to other beautiful blessings waiting for us to give up what isn’t suitable for us anymore.

The Problems of Others

As we go through life, so do others. People who are close to us, do affect us — positively or negatively. Sometimes when people are going through life situations, adverse events, and are experiencing tribulation, we can easily get caught up in their life experiences (often inducing unnecessary stress upon ourselves). We forget that our life is separate from our friends and families lives. Yes, we can sympathize, empathize, and offer advice to the people we care most about; however, we do not need to become attached to the issues that others are experiencing in their own lives.

Addiction Example

Even though it is tempting to help a person with an addiction, some of the most effective actions you can take are not being an enabler for their addiction, supporting them, loving them, and not getting attached to their addiction. Unfortunately, you cannot stop or control another person’s addiction; you can only hope that they will eradicate their addiction themselves.

Unfortunately, we often get caught up in trying to do the work for other people, though we can only do the work for ourselves. Similarly, no one else can do the work for us.

Detachment gives you the freedom to live your life independently from people and outcomes. You can start detaching from a person or situation currently in your life; this act of detaching may feel uncomfortable at first, but as time goes by, you feel freer, lighter, less stressed, and you will have more clarity within your own life. Detach today!!

Afra Sait