Posted by F43 on December 06, 2008 at 05:31:08:In Reply to: Why let go? posted by Tom-N-Texas on December 04, 2008 at 19:42:36:
This is interesting and a nice comment.
"Letting go" means something different to me: letting go of emotional tension that causes physical tension and nervous arousal. This takes two forms for me. One is letting go of the pressures I put on myself to excel and to accomplish certain things in life. There's nothing wrong with imagining myself having all the grand adventures in life that I imagine for myself. The problem for me comes when I become so emotionally and psychologically invested in these adventures and ambitions that they become life imperatives. "Oh my god...I must do these things or I've failed my basic nature!!!" It's when I translate these drives into "musts" "oughts" and "shoulds" at the emotional level--and then I don't act on them--that I become tense and in conflict with myself at a psychological-physical (and not cognitive) level. This conflict fuels my insomnia. I'm learning that I need to let go of the specific outcomes that I imagine for myself, but give shorter-term outlets to my drives and ambitions.
The other way of letting go for me is either to finally do a small task that I've been procrastinating on, or to help someone solve a problem. Both actions bring an incredible sense of relief and accomplishment at the end of the day, which produces physical relaxation that I cannot duplicate or bring on through any other technique, such as CBT or relaxation exercises. Both actions are a kind of "letting go" of physical tension that's built up because I've been avoiding something, or because I haven't had enough interpersonal (and helping) contact.
- Re: Why let go? KingofSnake 03:13 12/07/08 (1)
- Re: Why let go? F43 07:04 12/08/08 (0)