Letting go

Autumn is just around the corner; if you look closely, you'll already notice it in nature! After the peaks of summer, autumn is the time to let go. For trees, this is literally the case, but for us humans, it's sometimes a bit more nuanced. What am I letting go of this autumn? I'll tell you all about it in this blog post.

Transition

Letting go means change. These past few weeks, I've felt like I'm in a huge, positive spiral of change. I finally moved into my new studio apartment, a lot has been cleared out, and with every box I unpack, I feel myself landing. These are weeks of "transition" for me. The shift from summer to fall. The shift from full-on renovation mode to finding more peace. Unfamiliar... but also wonderful! Time to look ahead at what I want to let go of this fall.

Autumn is the time to let go

Traditionally, autumn is a magical time of year when you can let go of hard work. There's room for gratitude (for harvests), connection with friends and family, and time for yourself. Because, after a long, busy summer, you sometimes find yourself changed, or that certain things no longer suit you. You grow and blossom every year, and change is part of life. And with that change comes letting go.

In autumn, there's more time for reflection and rest. I always feel it very strongly. My body relaxes more, I sleep longer, and despite the peak workload at the webshop (or perhaps for you: work, a new project, training, etc.), I still notice that there's space for myself. Coziness and self-care are knocking on my door with complete abandon!

And then it turns out I still have some "letting go" to do. A kind of inner cleansing. This year, it looks like I'll be leaving the renovations behind (and no, we're far from finished, but the big things that kept throwing my life into disarray are ;-)). I want to unpack all the moving boxes this fall, and that's always a good time to get rid of everything that no longer fits. But there's more...

With confidence

Letting go can be nerve-wracking. In fact, I'm really bad at it (made possible by PTSD ;-)). It might sound ridiculous, but I always think of the trees. They shed their leaves without hesitation; they know everything will be alright in the spring. They trust their natural cycle, their own strength. And that's exactly what I try to embrace when I let go of the small, nuanced, (often painful) things. Guilt, shame, the feeling that I should be doing better, that I'm not good enough, or all sorts of undermining thoughts. But who are you without that part of your story? Who am I without the constant "you're a selfish bitch" echo in my head?

It's nerve-wracking. But each time, I let go a little. I trust my own strength, just like the trees. Letting go is a process. Autumn is the perfect time to give that process an extra boost. To give it a little more space. By consciously and confidently letting go each time, I've noticed over the years that I'm becoming more and more myself. I don't let myself get carried away anymore; I'm forging my own path, and honestly?

Letting go in the fall is wonderful. Easy? No. But definitely worth it. I'm committed to being authentically myself, and I'm getting a little more successful every fall!

Letting go creates space for news

Have you ever noticed this? Letting go creates space for new things. New ideas, activities, projects, and of course, inspiration for new illustrations! I'm curious what autumn will bring, but in the meantime, there's already a lot of new stuff (thanks to the positive, done-with-major-renovations spiral). How about this: