The Value of Letting Go: How I Make Peace With What I Cannot Change
Choosing to walk away from the negative in your life.
Hi there!
Medium Day Announcement:
If you’ve spent any time on Medium lately, you’ve heard of Medium Day. It’s an all-day online event about all things Medium, and it’s next Saturday. Tickets are free and everyone is welcome.
The day will feature over 250 sessions. My friend Glenna Gill will headline the presentation, How Mental Illness Affects My Writing, and it will air from 5:30PM-6PM ET on August 12 (tomorrow). Oh, and I’ll be there, too, sharing my story. We’d love to see you in the audience.
Recently, a reader sent me an email to tell me how little she thought of me and my content.
In the past, this would have upset me for days. I would’ve spent endless nights agonizing over her words and growing angrier with each passing day.
Instead, I replied and said I was sorry she was disappointed with my content. Then, I removed her from all my subscription lists.
I couldn’t change her negative mindset, so I chose to let it go.
"Let come what comes, let go what goes. See what remains.”
- Ramana Maharshi
Scott Ninneman publishes two newsletters each week. The Sunday All Things Bipolar Newsletter (off Substack) features the newest content about bipolar life. The Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club Newsletter shares inspirational stories three times a week to help you maintain a positive mindset.
Learning To Let Go
It’s been almost 30 years since I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I’ve had to learn to let go of a lot of things.
I used to obsess over controlling things in my life. I wanted to micromanage everything and strove for constant perfection. But now, I’ve learned that some things are out of my control—like other people’s opinions of me.
What I can control is how I react to situations and people.
When someone says or does something that upsets me, I can choose to let it go. I can choose to not give them the power to control my emotions.
That doesn’t mean that I’m going to be a doormat—far from it. But it does mean that I will not allow someone else’s negativity to bring me down.
Bipolar and Letting Go
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