Travelling light-Letting go of Emotional Baggage

You are all familiar of the story of a man with a heavy bag on his head who was walking and when someone offered a lift he accepted and the owner of the car noticed something strange the man still had the heavy bag on his head. The owner asked why he didn’t put down the heavy bag the man responded it was his baggage and he continued carrying it.

We all at one point have or are like this man having a heavy baggage and have got to accustomed to this state and this has had drastic effect on how we relate with people, how we feel about ourselves and how we make decisions and we may be having challenges coping with the situation.

The particular baggage I would like to talk about is emotional baggage. Emotional baggage can be defined as, the feelings you have about your past and the things that have happened to you, which often have a negative effect on your behaviour and attitudes. If you are experiencing any of these; Guilt, Regret, fear, inner criticism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders of late you may need to make a quick check on your life to understand the root cause and deal with it.

The COVID-19 has had a drastic effect on almost everyone in one way or the other. Today as I was shopping groceries for our restaurant I wanted salad seasoning and it was not available in the store. The owner mentioned of how he had stocked many of the spices but due to COVID-19 the stock was not moving and a lot of the spices had gone beyond the shelf life he had a lot of regret. I would like to ask how is it on your side?

What could be the causes of this emotional baggage.

Loss

Loss can take any form, this period of COVID-19 there has been loss, may be of a loved one, job, business. This has led to great fear of what the future holds. What loss have you encountered this period and how are you coping with it?

Financial challenges

As earlier mentioned of the store owner like many others have gone through this great challenge with many business closure. This too is a great cause of emotional baggage.

relationship challenges

This may be a divorce, infidelity. The once dream of a family is now coming to an end and of one of the spouse has called it quiets. The feeling and pain can have a great effect on a person.

up bringing

Not everyone has been brought in a stable family. Some may be orphans, raised by a single parent. Ensures of insecurity, low self esteem arise. These too can result to emotional baggage in people’s lives.

Having mentioned some of the causes. Here are some of the effects of emotional baggage if not well managed.

• Anger

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Feeling taken advantage.

• Low self esteem.

How then can one cope with Emotional baggage. The actual truth is that being a round a person experiencing emotional baggage is not interesting . NO ONE is interested in emotional baggage. So here are some of the ways of coping with it.

let go of the past

Most times we hold on to the past hurts yet it’s not necessary. Letting go will be the best thing one has to do for themselves. It is the beginning of healing. Paul in the bible mentions pressing on towards the goal and letting go of the past. Phillipians 3:14.

be Mindful of your thoughts

You have all had of the battle field of the mind. A lot happens in our mind and we need always to be careful of what we’ re thinking. You are what you think.

Learn to forgive yourself

We are not perfect and many times we fail. Don’t hold onto self-criticism. Learn to forgive yourself and move on.

Seek help

Remember a problem shared is half solved. There is no problem that has occurred that is not common to humanity, sometimes it’s okay to be vulnerable.

Having shared some of the practical ways of letting go of the emotional baggage one definitely will travel light and able to achieve wellness. Hope this has been helpful. In case you would like to reach out kindly feel free.