The Art of Letting Go...

You ever look at your life from the outside, like you’re some omnipotent third-party observer with popcorn, watching the disaster unfold? Maybe it’s during an existential crisis in the shower, or while you’re zoning out mid-conversation, realizing you don’t even like the person talking but you’ve committed to this dynamic like it’s a legally binding contract.

We justify a lot—jobs that drain us, friendships that feel like prolonged hostage situations, relationships where the love is buried under so much dysfunction we need a backhoe to dig it out. But hey, “nobody’s perfect,” right? Life isn’t some carefully curated self-help seminar where you Marie Kondo your way to emotional bliss. People aren’t objects; they don’t just stop sparking joy because you say so.

But here’s the raw truth: Some things drag us down so hard that the benefits no longer outweigh the consequences. And that’s where the internal war begins.

When The Rollercoaster Becomes a Repeated Free Fall

We tell ourselves the ups are worth the downs. That person who makes us laugh when they’re good? They’re also the same person who emotionally obliterates us when they’re bad. But we hold onto the high notes like a gambler convinced the next round will be different.

Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s the stubbornness of “invested time,” maybe we’re just masochists in denial. Cutting ties feels like admitting failure, like you wasted all that effort for nothing. But keeping the wrong people in your life is just prolonged self-sabotage dressed up as loyalty.

I know what you’re thinking—But it’s complicated! Of course, it is. Everything is. That’s the human condition: embracing the mess, learning when to sweep it up, and knowing when to burn the whole damn thing down.

So, What Do We Justify, and What Do We Break Free From?

Here’s the trick—stop asking yourself if you can “handle” something and start asking if it’s helping you.

If a connection is adding to your life, even with some turbulence, maybe it’s worth the bumps.

If it’s draining your energy like a spiritual vampire, keeping you stuck in old cycles, and making you question your own worth? It’s gotta go.

If you feel like you're constantly breaking yourself down to keep the relationship afloat, you're not in a connection—you're in an emotional prison.

Sometimes, severing ties feels worse than enduring the dysfunction because at least the dysfunction is familiar. But staying somewhere just because it’s comfortable is the fastest way to ensure you never grow.

Letting go is terrifying, but so is staying in the wrong place out of fear. Eventually, you have to decide: Are you the driver of your life or just a backseat passenger, watching the wreck happen in slow motion?

---

Now, the Real Question: What Comes Next?

This is the first of a four-part series. The next post? Navigating the Emotional Fallout of Cutting Ties Without Losing Your Sanity (or, “How to Ghost People Without Feeling Like a Villain”). Because trust me, there’s an art to letting go without spiraling into guilt-ridden regret.

Stay tuned. And until then—take a damn good look at your life, your connections, and ask yourself the hard question: “Is this actually worth it, or am I just scared of what happens if I let go?”

Because real freedom? That’s when you stop justifying and start choosing.

---

Upcoming Blog Posts in This Series:

1. Navigating the Emotional Fallout of Cutting Ties Without Losing Your Sanity

2. How to Tell If You’re the Problem (Without Spiraling Into an Existential Crisis)

3. Rebuilding After Letting Go: Creating Space for the Right Connections