20 Mental Barriers You Should Let Go Of

cynthetiq · Jul 25, 2011

20 Mental Barriers You Should Let Go Of

1. Let go of attachments: According to Buddhist Philosophy, attachment is one of the roots of all suffering. I can’t agree more. We attach ourselves to all sorts of things even the most self-slapping stupid notions in the universe. Are you attached to something? How much are you attached? Is it keeping you back from something? Is it making you suffer? Look at it straight through – break the illusion. Know that every attachment can be detached.

2. Let go of guilt: Guilt has absolutely no function whatsoever. Think about it – what could guilt possibly resolve? It just holds you imprisoned to self-mortification and sorrow.

3. Let go of Negative thinking: Pessimistic thoughts and negative attitudes keep you locked in a dark aura that permeates in everything you do. It’s a dangerous line to follow. Know that thoughts influence the world around us. Enough said

4. Let go of self-criticism: Many times we are our biggest pain in the neck. We criticize ourselves with the best of intentions but then go over the acceptable limit. Criticism then turns to disempowering messages. Let go of it and be kind and gentle to yourself.

5. Let go of prejudice: Prejudice keeps you bitter and resentful. It restricts your opportunities to connect meaningfully with others.

6. Let go of compulsive thinking: Do you keep on doing something just because you feel you have to do it without any apparent reason? It’s time to honestly reflect on its usefulness and its side-effects.

7. Let go of the need for others’ approval: We often tend to seek approval by others. This is an attention-seeking behaviour and one which threatens our self-confidence and authenticity.

8. Let go of limiting beliefs: Most of our limits are self-imposed. Life doesn’t have defined limits. Our beliefs do. Learn to identify those beliefs which narrow down your possibilities for action and let go of them.

9. Let go of grudges: Let me put it this way – grudges are bad for your heart. Keep them long enough or numerous enough and your health will eventually suffer. Research is showing the relationship between heart disease and emotions such as anger and grudges.

10. Let go of the “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude: This is a delaying tactic of your subconscious saboteur trying to keep you from accomplishing important tasks. Try to be aware of it when you think it and consciously push yourself to do at least the first part of it. Naturally you will then continue the whole task because the hard part is only the beginning.

11. Let go of anxious thoughts: These are born out of our fear of the unknown and uncertainty about the future. The thought that something unpleasant may happen is only an unreal thought we have created ourselves. Ask yourself: “Is this thought based on real evidence?”

12. Let go of past heartbreaks: A heartbreak can take quite a long time to heal. Your heart is locked as your mind keeps on hovering over the same thought. The thing to realize is that in heartbreaks it is not the loss that make you suffer but the idea you create in your heads about that loss.

13. Let go of bad memories: Sometimes we remember unpleasant things that stir up some sad feelings in us. Bad memories make you relive those sad moments in the present. Keep them where they are – in the past.

14. Let go of useless things: We also attach ourselves to things of all sort. Sometimes we clutter our life with useless objects. Let go of them and simplify your working and living environment.

15. Let go of bad company: If there are people around you that are insincere, harbour envy, are highly pessimistic or disempowering, keep away from them.

16. Let go of the idea that you are a product of your past: One very common mistake we fall into is the belief that we are determined by our past experiences. This limits our view on future possibilities since we are stuck in believing that the future can only be more of the same as our past.

17. Let go of identifying yourself with your job/role: This is one of the risks of modern day life. Since roles are always becoming more specialized we think that we are part of our roles. This makes us lose perspective of our true nature.

18. Let go of counterproductive habits: These are the repetitive patterns of behavior that obstruct or distract you from constructive and productive behavior. They can be anything from watching too much TV and overeating to self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse.

19. Let go of taking things too personally: Very often we are disturbed emotionally because we interpret people’s words and actions from a very subjective perspective. When we take things personally we get irritated, hurt and disappointed. When you look at life from a more detached and objective point of view, we stay emotionally balanced and focused on our priorities.

20. Let go of the ticking clock: Time is one of our biggest sources of stress. Well, not time really but our perception of it. Sometimes we are enslaved by the concept of time even in our moments of leisure. This has devoured a lot of our genuine freedom and space. Learning to spend moments without the constant awareness of time can be liberating and finally productive.
Click to expand...

I still have many of these to work on.

snowy · Jul 25, 2011

This is a great list. I think it would make a great daily meditation. Wouldn't it be interesting to try and tackle one of these items a week, or a month? I imagine it would be difficult.

One I know I have down in a lot of ways is 7. I don't need approval from others. However, there are a few people in my life that if they were to start disliking me, I would be worried.

And as much as I love my job, I don't want it to be the whole of who I am. Yes, I teach kids. Yes, I love teaching. I don't mind being thought of as a teacher in general terms, but it is not the whole of my being. My aunt was giving me crap yesterday because my husband was busy playing with our little cousins and I was reading a magazine. I laughed and told her everyone needs a day off. She couldn't help but agree. As much as I do love children, I do not want to spend every hour of every day playing with one. I am an adult with adult interests. I think identifying with your role isn't so much a personal problem as it is something others do for you, and that's annoying.

Japchae · Jul 25, 2011

I don't know, I'm not a fan of letting go of most of these... I think that we need to learn to moderate them.
It's my self-criticism that keeps me going to the gym and working at school; my past that motivates me towards my future; the ticking clock that reminds me that my paper is due; my prejudices that keep me safe (in certain scenarios)... if you let them go, what is left to keep you moving? I think that there is a certain point in your life, perhaps after retirement or something, that these are fine. But I'd rather work on all these in moderation and not letting myself get too far in one direction or the other instead of "letting go." As for approval from others, there are a few people in my life that I use as a barometer. If they started to disapprove, I'd rethink what I was doing and not necessarily change it, but look at my motives.

Borla · Jul 30, 2011

japchae said: ↑

I don't know, I'm not a fan of letting go of most of these... I think that we need to learn to moderate them.
It's my self-criticism that keeps me going to the gym and working at school; my past that motivates me towards my future; the ticking clock that reminds me that my paper is due; my prejudices that keep me safe (in certain scenarios)... if you let them go, what is left to keep you moving? I think that there is a certain point in your life, perhaps after retirement or something, that these are fine. But I'd rather work on all these in moderation and not letting myself get too far in one direction or the other instead of "letting go." As for approval from others, there are a few people in my life that I use as a barometer. If they started to disapprove, I'd rethink what I was doing and not necessarily change it, but look at my motives.
Click to expand...

Bingo. It's a matter of moderation, not elimination. Some of them need moderated more than others obviously.

Charlatan · Jul 31, 2011

This list, reasonably applied would be a great way to unclutter you life. I am a big advocate of the less is more school.

Someday, I will have an empty house. Too often I feel like my life is full of extraneous stuff (physical and mental).

Spiritsoar · Aug 6, 2011

I've found that the best thing to let go of is needless worry. If you stop and ask yourself "Is there anything I can do to make this situation better?" and the answer is no, then dismiss it and let what happens happen.

Ourcrazymodern? · Aug 6, 2011

Mental barriers are in place for a reason. The best I can do is to keep them flexible.

lionrock · Aug 7, 2011

Let go of singing Muppets songs over and over in my head when I should be focusing on work.

Zweiblumen · Aug 8, 2011

#18 : Would that be stop using TFP ?

cellophanedeity · Aug 8, 2011

I'm glad I came upon this today. I've been feeling anxious and unhappy this morning, so having a reminder to be better is appreciated. I'll keep this list in mind as I go about my day.

Non-attached mindfulness! The only way to get through modern life?

Jove · Aug 8, 2011

I have difficulty with 3,4,6,11, but I generally solve these problems by exercising and yoga. It seems to help.

DRP967 · Aug 9, 2011

Interesting read and definitely food for thought. Some items on the list are easier said than done but I will work on all items from top to bottom.

sapiens · Aug 11, 2011

I agree with noodle above. Many of my attachments to people and to ideas make me stronger and help me make sense of my life. Self-criticism helps me improve. Guilt motivates me to right any wrongs I have done to others.

Cernunnos · Aug 11, 2011

Echoing others in this thread, moderation is key. Determining the appropriate balance takes effort, however, as it's quite easy to trick yourself into believing a mental habit is harmless, or that it doesn't affect you at all. Peering into one's own thought processes unfortunately seems to be an unpopular activity.

Log in or Sign up

20 Mental Barriers You Should Let Go Of

cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Japchae Very Tilted

Borla Moderator Staff Member

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Spiritsoar Slightly Tilted

Ourcrazymodern? still, wondering

lionrock Getting Tilted

Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

cellophanedeity New Member

Jove Slightly Tilted

DRP967 New Member

sapiens Vertical

Cernunnos Vertical

Log in or Sign up

20 Mental Barriers You Should Let Go Of

cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

snowy so kawaii Staff Member

Japchae Very Tilted

Borla Moderator Staff Member

Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

Spiritsoar Slightly Tilted

Ourcrazymodern? still, wondering

lionrock Getting Tilted

Zweiblumen Slightly Tilted

cellophanedeity New Member

Jove Slightly Tilted

DRP967 New Member

sapiens Vertical

Cernunnos Vertical

Useful Searches