Learning to Let Go: What Walking Away Taught Me About Trusting My Life
There was a time in my life when I stayed far longer than I should have.
Not because things were good,but because they were familiar.
Because I had history.
Because I told myself loyalty meant endurance.
Because walking away felt selfish… or dramatic… or like I hadn’t “tried hard enough.”
So I stayed.
In relationships that required me to shrink.
In friendships that felt heavy instead of supportive.
In habits that once helped me cope but eventually kept me stuck.
And for a while, I convinced myself that was strength.
But eventually, my body started telling the truth before my mind could catch up.
I felt drained all the time. Less inspired. Less like myself. I was doing all the “right” things on the outside, but something felt misaligned on the inside.
That was my first lesson in letting go:
If something consistently costs you your peace, it’s asking for too much.
Realizing That Outgrowing Something Doesn’t Mean It Failed
What surprised me most wasn’t the decision to walk away,it was the grief that came with it.
I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t bitter.
I was just… sad.
Sad that something meaningful no longer fit.
Sad that growth doesn’t always happen together.
Sad that becoming more self-aware meant facing hard truths I had been avoiding.
I had to learn that letting go doesn’t mean the connection wasn’t real.
It just means it served a version of me that no longer exists.
And honoring that felt healthier than forcing something to continue out of fear.
Walking Away Quietly Changed Everything
The moment I finally chose to step back…to stop over-giving, over-explaining, over-staying, nothing dramatic happened.
No big confrontation. No speech. No instant relief. Just space. And in that space, I started to hear myself again. I noticed how much lighter my days felt. How my energy slowly returned. How I had room to build new routines, deeper self-trust, and healthier boundaries.
Walking away didn’t break me. It brought me back to myself.
Trusting the Timing (Even When It Made No Sense)
One of the hardest parts of this season was not knowing what came next.
When you let go, there’s often a gap- between what was… and what will be. And that in-between space can feel uncomfortable. Lonely. Uncertain. But it taught me something I didn’t know I needed:
I don’t need to rush my healing or my next chapter to prove I’m okay.
I learned to trust that what’s meant for me won’t require me to abandon myself to keep it.
That the right people, opportunities, and paths will meet me where I am…not who I used to be.
Faith, for me, stopped being about control and started being about surrender.
Letting Go Without Turning Cold
This journey hasn’t made me hardened or closed off.
If anything, it’s made me more intentional.
More compassionate. More honest…with myself and with others.
I don’t regret the seasons I’ve outgrown. I don’t resent the people who couldn’t come with me. And I don’t shame the version of myself who stayed too long.
She was doing the best she could with what she knew.
Now, I know better, and I choose differently.
If You’re Standing at the Edge of a Decision…
If you’re feeling that quiet nudge…the one telling you something needs to change, please know this:
You don’t need permission to walk away. You don’t need everything to fall apart to justify leaving. You don’t need to have the next step figured out yet.
Sometimes growth looks like choosing peace over familiarity. Sometimes faith looks like trusting the pause. Sometimes love looks like letting go, with gratitude instead of resentment.
Walking away can be an act of self-respect. Trusting timing can be an act of courage. And believing that what’s meant for you will find you… can be the most freeing mindset shift of all.
You’re not coming in behind, and you’re most definitely not broken.
You’re becoming.
And that’s something worth trusting.
Often times both for myself and when working with health coaching clients I like to lean into positive affirmations. If this resonates with you try repeating this affirmation to yourself …
I release what no longer aligns with who I am becoming.
I trust the timing of my life.
What is meant for me will meet me with ease, not force.
I walk away with love, faith, and self-respect.
If you allowed yourself to walk away with love instead of guilt, what would you be creating space for?
XO,
M
