"Letting Go of What Doesn’t Belong to You"

Dec 09, 2026

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"Letting Go of What Doesn’t Belong to You"

Imagine for a moment that you’re holding a stone in your hand. It’s heavy, isn’t it? Feel the weight of it—the coolness, the roughness. That stone represents the burdens you’ve been carrying—the things you’ve held onto for so long, even though they were never meant for you to carry alone.

Sometimes, without even realizing it, we hold onto things that aren’t ours to bear. Other people’s expectations, the shame or guilt from things that weren’t our fault, or the pain of things that have happened to us. Maybe you’ve been holding onto something from your past for so long that it feels like a part of you now, but it doesn’t have to be.

Take a moment to think about what that stone represents for you. Maybe it’s a memory, a hurt, a relationship, or even an idea of yourself that you’ve outgrown. Whatever it is, you’ve been carrying it for a long time, and maybe you’re ready to let it go.

Now, picture yourself standing at the edge of a body of water—a lake, a river, or even a simple bowl of water. You hold that stone, the weight of it in your hand, and you think about how it’s been weighing you down. But now, you have a choice. You can release it.

You’ve been carrying this weight for a long time, but it doesn’t define who you are. It’s something that happened to you or something that’s been part of your life, but it doesn’t own you. You are more than that. And you are allowed to set it down.

When you’re ready, you throw that stone into the water. Watch it sink beneath the surface. Watch how the water ripples out, how the heaviness of that stone disappears into the depth of the water. You’ve let it go. You’ve released it.

That water represents something beautiful—it represents cleansing. It washes away the things that have been holding you back. It symbolizes that you don’t have to carry that burden anymore. The heaviness is no longer yours to bear.


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Other Illustrations for Letting Go

Balloons in the Sky: Imagine holding a balloon filled with all the negative feelings, hurt, and shame that you’ve carried. As you stand there, you reflect on how this weight has kept you grounded, unable to soar. But now, as you let the balloon go, you watch it rise higher and higher, drifting away into the sky. As it disappears, you feel lighter. That balloon represents the release of things you were never meant to carry—letting go of the fear and pain that has weighed you down.

Writing and Burning: Sometimes the things we carry are invisible, but they feel just as heavy. Picture yourself writing down the words that represent your pain or trauma—maybe it’s a fear, a name, or a memory. Then, you take that piece of paper and burn it in a safe space, watching the flames consume it. As the paper turns to ash, you feel the release of those words. They no longer have power over you.

Cutting the Cord: Imagine yourself tied to something heavy with a rope. That rope represents an attachment to something painful from your past—maybe it’s a person, a place, or an old version of yourself. You’ve been holding on to it for too long, and it’s been holding you back. Now, visualize yourself taking a pair of scissors and cutting that cord. The weight falls away, and you feel yourself standing stronger and more freely. You’ve released the ties that no longer serve you.


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Reflection and Moving Forward

Releasing these things doesn’t mean that the pain never happened or that it wasn’t important. It means you’re no longer letting it define you. You’re freeing yourself from the weight of the past so that you can move forward, lighter and stronger.

Ask yourself: What are you ready to release? What no longer belongs to you? What has been holding you back from moving forward?

Kathe'rine