For many people it’s the start of the holiday season and it made me think about what we really need to take with us and what we can leave behind.
If you’re like me you probably take too much ‘stuff’ on holiday and are amazed when you see backpackers heading off for 6 months with just a backpack. In the past I know having too much luggage on holiday has been really irritating; there’s nowhere to put everything, you end up carting it around from car to hotel and back again and then it all has to be put away again once you get home.
Packing is like life though, don’t you think? There are some things which it’s essential to carry with us and there are other things which would be better left behind.
It was essential for me to leave behind the things which reminded me that I wanted to be a mother, and these have been both tangible things and my beliefs. This was a crucial early step in moving on. Keeping constant reminders of something I couldn’t have was only dragging me back.
In terms of the tangible things, the steps I took were to ask myself;
- what specific things do I have which remind me that I wanted to be a mother?
- what do I have which reminds me of the struggle I went through?
- what do I have, that if I got rid of it would make me feel better?
For example I had a particular shirt I wore many times when we went to the hospital and afterwards when I wore it I felt sad. So I took it to the charity shop.
Maybe you also have clothes you wore to the hospital, maybe you have appointment letters, spare syringes, or perhaps you bought a teddy bear you wanted your baby to have.
How about spending a few minutes this weekend having a sort out and getting rid of these reminders? It may not be easy but I guarantee that you’ll feel better for it.
I love this quote.
Getting rid of your baggage will make your journey lighter and easier and getting rid of the tangible reminders is a great first step. In my last blog I wrote about how it’s important to get outside your comfort zone and doing that combined with getting rid of your baggage will really help you.
It’s really important to keep taking small steps every day and every week and continue moving forward. After a while you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve travelled. I know I was.
I’d love to hear how you get on – please add your comments or email me.
The other ‘backpack’ that i was carrying was those negative emotions such as grief and sadness which kept coming back. I talk about how to get rid of that here.
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