Saying goodbye is never easy. Well maybe for some it is, but for me—not so much.
While saying goodbye, whether it be to a person, a home, a job, or whatever, often means something new and exciting is coming, it can often lead to unexpected emotions.
A friend recently moved into a new home that she absolutely loves—yet found herself sobbing when the time came to leave her old house. A client starting a new job that she was super excited about, found herself reminiscing about the one she would be leaving behind. And a colleague who dreamt of falling in love and settling down, found herself mourning the end of her single life.
So what is it about moving forward in our lives, that can make it so difficult to let go of the past? I think part of it just has to do with the dualities of many changes. I do think mixed emotions are legit, and that we can find ourselves feeling a multitude of things during any transition.
Sometimes we may question ourselves when we are caught off guard by what we are feeling. In those cases, I always think it’s best to just acknowledge whatever is coming up for us, allow ourselves to feel it without judgement, and then when ready, start focusing on all the good stuff that’s to come.
People often wanna just jump to the good stuff, but it can be hard to fully get there if we don’t feel the rawness of whatever comes up for us. Instead of trying to convince ourselves we should only be feeling joy about a change, giving ourselves permission to feel the loss (of whatever we may be leaving behind), can be crucial as well.
Our feelings can surprise us sometimes, but that’s not to say that whatever we may be feeling is somehow wrong. While transitions in life mean a new chapter is beginning, they also generally mean it’s time to close another—so it’s to be expected that we may feel various emotions.
Go ahead—get excited about what’s to come! Say hello to something new in your life! But know it’s ok to feel nostalgic, to feel sadness, to feel a sense of loss too because with every new hello, there’s usually a goodbye to deal with as well. Whatever you may feel, it’s all good because you are human, and part of being human is being emotional.
That’s it—that’s all I got for ya!
Happy day!
