Drop the Snake, Grab Your Peace 🐍✌️ (Reflection & Discussion)

@Heather225

Yesterday, I wrote a letter to myself in this spirit.

What answer am I searching for?

Do I really believe that an answer will heal my wounds?

I have been searching for explanations and answers for many years, and finally, I feel that letting go is a real option.

This is due to justice n mistreatment that is ongoing that always lead me to justify myself n not take blame or guilt that wasn’t mine. Others can gaslight in very dangerous ways making u bad for it. I will still continue defending myself as this is my nature but I will also let them go like they did me.

😞🐍 don’t chase snake ppl

i know how much it hurts💔

not just once

I’m dropping my snake right here: 🐍

for Friday pls

@Heather225 I'm holding on to way to many snakes  (with an extended fake arm of course, cause snakes are scary and probably slimy) I'm slowly learning to let go of some of them, little by little ❤

@Heather225

Just when I was introspecting on letting go this article poped up in my notification. 

I would say, over the time we get stuck with many different things or I must say different species of snakes. Asking these questions to ourselves those can serve us to make the process of letting go easier.

As I once read somewhere, Holding onto certain emotions or people hurts us only.. 

So dropping the snake is better and healthy for us.

I like the snake analogy, but it could just as easily be any kind of critter.  Cats come to mind because we tend to tolerate bad behavior from them, pretty much invariably assuming that even with scratches or bites, we make excuses for them, including "he's a wild animal and can't always control his instincts."  

Being hurt by people feels different.  A common assumption is that the person causing pain should or does know better, hence the pain they caused must've been deliberate.  That assumption tends to lead to lots of mental rumination, including replaying a mental video of the event over and over.  We may also "chase the snake," seeking answers, even though experience has reinforced how unsatisfactory those answers - if they appear at all, often are.  

Consider this: If a person accidentally bumps into us and we fall, what follows usually is a polite apology and if there's no injury, the person will dust themselves off and go about their business.  They may even enjoy find humor in the experience and decide to share it with others. 

Now imagine someone intentionally pushing you down.  What follows is emotional pain, rage, rumination, and quite possibly a feeling of victimhood that can last for months or even longer.  

So, in both cases, no physical injury has occurred.  If we know it happened accidentally, we're likely to shrug it off or even laugh about it.  If it's deliberate, even in the absence of  injury, our mental and emotional gears are likely to grind for who knows how long.  

Therefore, it's worth asking one's self whether the physical aspect of the event or our judgment of the other person involved, is the source of our suffering.  

The thing is, we can't read the mind of someone, even if they're being hurtful.  They may be "reacting" instinctually, just as a cat or snake.  Yes, it's true, a lot of people are approaching life with limited understanding of how to cope or behave beyond a basic instinctual level, not unlike a cat or snake.  Even highly evolved people may have episodes of instinctual functioning.  

So the whole point of this is, whether the encounter is with a snake or a person, it's worth asking one's self how much negative baggage they wish to carry with them from the experience.  There is freedom to choose between letting our judgment of the other person occupy real estate within our mind, or simply telling one's self, "okay, I'm back on my feet and it's time to  move on."

I know it's kind of an "out there" philosophy, but I've been living by it for quite a few years.  Incredibly, there have been instances in which a person who sought to humiliate me, observed my resilient and non-judgmental, non-vindictive reaction, came to respect me.  

@Heather225    
 I have been practicing to let things go for some good time now and it definitely feels better as u explained beautifully about chasing the snake or finding the reason why it bit u  instead of finding the antidot of the poison . I have tried to filter out people according to their importance in my life  everytime i feel like this statement is hurting me or the past haunting  I tell myself is it okh to think about it and give it ur sm time and energy rn at this stage of life  ???? i have been holding some deadly snakes in the past years and currently in the process of letting them go   tho m happy to sure i did let go of some before 2025 started . I accepted it happened and it is over now  so the enrgy my cells making for me should be used for my better future and present actions instead of crying over the past or holding grudges  .

Snakes I am currently holding back are as follows:

I am not good enough. Past failures and mistakes are holding me back. Worrying about future events .

How is holding onto this snake affecting you?

Lead s me to feel bad about myself. No feelings of peace and calmness of mind.

What are your biggest obstacles to letting go?

Fear of failure, perfectionism, pessimism

To let get of this snake of this snake would feel some peaceful and calming and so much relaxing. It would feel much better to let go than to keep or hold them. It feels like a burden has been taken off my shoulders.

@Heather225

Thank you Heather for sharing this great analogy! And also for relating it so amazingly well! 💓

The way you defined Acceptance, it's sounds so simple and easy to do!

I had been holding onto some snakes in my life! But gradually I realised what I was losing with them! I was losing myself! And so I took that bold decision to eliminate them from my life!

So if I answer this question in the present context, I am glad to say that I hold no snakes in my life now!

Letting go becomes easy when we are kind and compassionate with ourselves! It becomes easy when we let ourselves feel how we feel and realise that it's okay to not be okay!

Letting go off any snakes in our lives gives us a sense of freedom, making us rise above to a better version of ourselves! Exploring the latent power that had remained hidden within us!

Perhaps a happy medium is both… treat the harm w self care and then also pursue protection and justice.