021- How to Actually Let Go
Description
Letting go isn’t a single decision. It’s a slow, sacred process.
In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa explores what it really means to release someone, something, or a dream that once felt like home. You’ll learn why your struggle to let go is not a sign of weakness, but proof of how deeply you love, care, and stay loyal to what matters.
Through stories, analogies, and soulful reflection, Najwa guides you through the gentle art of loosening your grip without abandoning yourself in the process.
"Your struggle to let go is not failure. It’s evidence of your depth.”
🕒 Timestamps
00:00 — The truth about why letting go feels impossible
01:26 — How do you actually make peace with what’s gone?
03:45 — The beauty in your ability to hold on
06:17 — Why holding on isn’t weakness
07:21 — When people make you feel foolish for still caring
08:23 — Listening to what your pain is trying to say
09:26 — The power of going slowly
10:38 — How to ground yourself when you shut down
12:52 — Numbing and distraction as survival
14:59 — “God doesn’t burden a soul more than it can bear”
17:22 — Relapse is not failure
19:36 — Practical steps for letting go
20:41 — Journal prompts to understand your attachment
22:38 — Why time alone doesn’t heal you
25:20 — The rope analogy: how healing happens in layers
28:54 — Climbing your emotional mountain
30:16 — Grieving what you thought would last
31:55 — The parts of you that still hold on
33:03 — Words That Found Me: Epictetus on acceptance
35:07 — The nature of impermanence
36:16 — Final reflection and gratitude
🧭 Show Notes
In this episode, Najwa shares:
- The real reason it’s so hard to let go
- How holding on can be an expression of loyalty, not weakness
- The difference between forcing closure and finding peace
- What grief actually looks like when love still lingers
- How to stop judging yourself for still caring
- Why letting go takes safety, patience, and time
Key quotes:
- “If it took you years to hold on, you can’t let go in a day.”
- “Your ability to hold on shows not your weakness, but your power.”
- “You don’t let go by deciding to forget; you let go by deciding to feel.”
- “Maybe you were never meant to drop the mountain — only to climb it.”
Mentioned in this episode:
📖 The Only Constant – “I will go as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe.”
🎵 Gentle With Myself by Karen Drucker
📜 Epictetus — “Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish...”
Reflection prompts:
- What am I still holding on to that no longer holds me?
- What part of me is afraid of what life will look like when I finally let go?
- What small step could I take today to release one thread of that rope?
Listen and remember:
You don’t let go by being stronger.
You let go by being gentler with the parts of you that still care.



