Let it Go. Let it Heal

Let it go, was a very popular song from the movie Frozen. I recall the year the movie came out, my son was in pre-school, and at most events, you could spot some children singing Let it Go.

Let it Go is also popular advice given out to people who have been hurt or have been facing adversity. I have found myself letting things go in my life.

For example, anger and hurt over mistreatment from employers, unfair life circumstances, setbacks, I have told myself to let it go.

The problem with letting it go is that it comes back. Now what? I thought I let it go?

Why am I upset about the job situation from ten years ago? The relationship from twenty years ago? The school event from thirty?

I let all of them go?

I concluded that letting it go is helpful, but what I really needed to do was to Let it Heal.

The events that I let go, those events had hurt me and left me in emotional pain. Anger and Sadness swirled around inside of me. My method of dealing with the anger and Sadness was to let it go.

Now I understand that I needed to let it heal.

You see this with professional athletes. I can recall countless performances by athletes who were hurt at the moment and went on to do remarkable feats all while facing pain. This was awesome, but it wasn’t sustainable.

I recall watching an NBA Finals game 30 years ago; a hall of fame player twisted his ankle in game six. He went on to lead his team to a comeback win. The next night in game seven, he wasn’t able to contribute, and the team lost the finals.

Playing injured or not playing injured isn’t the point I want to emphasize; the point is that we need healing time. If we don’t make time for healing, we suffer the consequences of our unresolved hurts.

Dealing with unresolved hurts can involve a spiritual community, counseling, friends, family, whoever you trust to take care of your hurt, and who is competent.

I am not a professional counselor, but I believe that if you have hurts, you should pursue one.

I also think that we can daily mental wellness activities that can benefit us and move us closer to healing. For me, I use spiritual wisdom from the Bible and belong to a supportive faith community. Daily spiritual activity helps me to move from letting it go to let it heal.