Letting go is one of the most powerful choices we can make in life, yet it’s often the hardest.

Whether it’s a relationship, an outdated belief, a past mistake, or an identity that no longer fits who we are becoming, the act of releasing can feel like a profound loss.

But in truth, letting go is an opening. It’s an invitation to step into peace, clarity, and alignment with your higher self.

In my own journey, and in the lives of so many women I work with, I’ve seen how holding on can quietly sabotage joy. We cling to what we know, even when it hurts, because familiarity feels safer than change. It becomes comfortable and predictable, even if it no longer serves us.

But that grip tightens over time and starts costing us energy, focus, and the inner spaciousness we need to thrive – not to mention the opportunity to be fully present and open to the only day that truly matters, today!

Holding on to past experiences, traumas, and especially the stories we tell ourselves over and over about them, starts to feel like dragging heavy anchors around all day.

The moment we decide to release, however, something shifts. We feel a lightness. A breath we didn’t know we were holding finally exhales. The future feels again like it’s full of limitless potential.

However, this sensation of liberation can range from being unnervingly uncomfortable to downright excruciatingly confusing. The unknown

It’s as if our spirits were caged for far too long and someone just opened the cell door, and we are free to go. Or, more accurately, the door was never locked, and it was just up to us to take the first bold steps and leave.

Positive psychology has long affirmed this wisdom. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build theory explains how positive emotions, like peace, gratitude, and joy, expand our mental and emotional resources. But these emotions can’t flourish if we’re stuck in resentment or fear.

Further research from psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun on post-traumatic growth shows that people often experience profound personal evolutions and flourish when they learn to accept what they cannot change. This kind of surrender isn’t passive—it’s the foundation of transformation.

As author Daphne Rose Kingma so beautifully said, “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.”

And yet we often underestimate how much mental and emotional bandwidth is taken up by what we haven’t released. A study published by PositivePsychology.com highlighted how nonattachment—the ability to hold life loosely, without clinging—is directly linked to higher resilience, emotional well-being, and even stronger relationships. In letting go, we aren’t giving up; we’re choosing peace over control, presence over perfection.

While we most often view “surrender” in a negative light, it also means that we stop struggling; stop swimming upstream, so to speak; and stop fighting for things that aren’t meant for us. We are free to relax, breathe, and signal to the universe that we are ready to receive abundance.

Of course, that is a process, and nor is it easy. But the first step to letting go begins with that acceptance, an honest acknowledgment of what is, and a healthy dose of faith. This can be painful at first, especially if we’re letting go of a dream, a version of ourselves, or someone we love. Basically, we need to be able to see through the storm when we are in the midst of it and feel the emotions of joy and abundance to come even without direct evidence of its existence.

But when we meet that pain with compassion, rather than resistance, something opens. Jack Kornfield said, “Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be. Let your body relax and your heart soften.” This is the sacred practice of surrender.

Next comes the reframe. We shift our narrative from “I failed” or “I’m losing something” to “I’m creating space” or “I’m honoring my growth,” and become downright excited about what now has the room and signal to arrive. We begin to see that our worth isn’t tied to what we hold onto, but rather who we become when we set it down. The space that opens up allows creativity, healing, and inspiration to flow back in.

Letting go doesn’t mean we no longer care. It means we’ve decided to stop carrying what isn’t ours, what doesn’t serve our highest good, or what keeps us from the deeper truth of who we are. It means we put ourselves first, and it takes courage. It takes trust. But what we gain is nothing short of freedom.

So, ask yourself: What are you ready to release? What belief, fear, relationship, or role have you outgrown? And what might become possible if you chose to let it go?

This month, let the theme be surrender. Not giving up but rising up. Not shrinking back but clearing the path ahead. The freedom you seek isn’t in holding on. It’s in your willingness to let go.

-Kelly