There’s a strange kind of heaviness that comes with holding on – especially to things that once made us feel safe. Old routines, past relationships, the version of yourself you used to be… they wrap around you like a blanket you’ve outgrown. And even when they start to feel tight, scratchy, or no longer yours, it’s still hard to put them down.

Recently, I’ve found myself sitting with the discomfort of endings. Not dramatic ones, but the quiet kind. The ones where nothing necessarily goes wrong, but your soul knows it’s time to move forward, and I”m not just talking about relationships. The chapters of your life that end, a mindset shift, or even new beginnings. It’s in these moments I’m learning that letting go doesn’t always have to be painful. Sometimes, it can look like whispering a soft thank you… and then walking away.

This is a post about choosing peace over pressure. About honouring the past without dragging it with you. And most of all, about learning to say goodbye, not with bitterness, but with gratitude.

The Weight of Holding On

We hold on for so many reasons.

Because it’s familiar.
Because we once needed it.
Because we’re scared of the space that might be left behind if we let it go.

Whether it’s a friendship that no longer fits, a version of yourself rooted in survival instead of joy, or a dream that just doesn’t align anymore, it’s easy to grip tightly to what once made sense. Even when deep down, we know we’ve outgrown it.

But holding on too long starts to feel like emotional clutter. You carry the weight of who you used to be while trying to become who you’re meant to be. And that tension? It’ll stretch you thin.

Moving on from a past life isn’t easy; in fact, it’s probably one of the hardest things to do in our life journeys. But it is necessary. We can’t stay stuck in a little box our whole lives. We need to learn to fly. To forgive. To forget. To move on. To say thank you to the girl you used to be. To be the best person you can be.

Gratitude Over Grief

What shifted for me was this:
I stopped seeing letting go as a failure. I started seeing it as a form of self-respect. The biggest form of self-respect.

Instead of resenting my past, I’ve started thanking it.
“Thank you for teaching me what I needed in that moment.”
“Thank you for getting me through a hard season.”
“Thank you, even if it hurt, because I learned from it.”

This mindset cracked something open in me.
Suddenly, goodbyes didn’t feel like walls – they felt like doors.

When you approach endings with gratitude, they become less about loss and more about evolution. You don’t have to hate what you’re leaving behind. You just have to love yourself enough to know it’s okay to move on.

Saying Goodbye With Compassion

Letting go isn’t always a clean break. Sometimes it’s messy. Sometimes it takes longer than you want it to. And that’s okay. Take that from someone who has been frozen in time for years, trapped by the idea that being the smallest person in the world is what kept me alive and loved.

With that, I’ve learned that you don’t need permission from anyone else to find your closure. You can create it for yourself. No one else can actually do it for you – you have to learn when it’s the right time to let go of that older, smaller version of you.

Write a letter to your past self and burn it.
Delete the photos you keep revisiting.
Unfollow the account that makes you feel stuck.
Take a walk and whisper, “thank you, but I’m done now.”
Start again.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just has to feel true.

And if you still feel sad afterwards? That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means you’re human. Letting go of old versions of ourselves is painful, raw, and sometimes it feels wrong. But you’ve outgrown her, and you’re starting to learn who you truly are, away from expectations, rules, and regimes.

Becoming Someone New

There’s something beautiful that happens after the goodbye.
You breathe a little easier. You stop shrinking yourself to fit back into a space you’ve outgrown. You make room for new people, new energy, new joy.

And slowly, without even realising it, you start becoming someone new.

Someone softer, because they let go with love.
Someone stronger, because they didn’t settle in the safety of “what was.”
Someone freer, because they chose themselves, even when it was hard.

That’s the kind of growth that lasts. The quiet, steady kind. The kind that doesn’t scream “look at me!” but instead whispers “I’m proud of who I’m becoming“.

Hold onto that pride. That excitement. That becoming. Because you’re going to need it on this journey of letting go. Focus on how good it feels, beyond the emotions and hardships. It is good to let go.

A Final Thank You

So here it is – our final thank you.

To the people we’ve outgrown.
To the dreams that didn’t work out.
To the versions of us who were just trying their best.

Thank you for getting me here.

But I’m ready to keep going now and becoming.