A root cause of most human stress is simply our stubbornness to hold on to ideals – as if they’re real, certain, solid, everlasting fixtures in our lives. We hold on tight to the hope that things will go exactly as we imagine, and then we complicate our lives to no end when they don’t. In reality, most things in life change or are impermanent or even imagined.

We get stuck on ideas like:

• Life isn’t supposed to be this way, I need it to be different
• There is only one thing I want, I can’t be happy without it
• I am absolutely right, the other person is absolutely wrong
• I should not be exactly how I am right now, etc.

Life is easier and lighter when we just let go.

Let go and let things just be and accept the reality. You don’t need to control everything; you really can’t anyway.

Let go of the stories you tell yourself. Stories of what ought to be, what you think happened. Ask yourself, “What else might this mean?”, “What are other options?”, “What opportunities does this reality bring?”