What are the things that no longer serve you?

As I continue my menopause journey, I am noticing changes in the way I think about things.  Things that I did almost robotically no longer serve me.  

As with a lot of women, my mother did not speak to me about menopause and all the things that go along with that season of your life but as I am going through it myself, I remember about when my mom was going through her season even if she did not talk about it.  I know because as I recognize in me the changes, I saw in her. There was a point when things she thought had to be done a certain way, did not matter anymore in the big scheme of things.  I see that in myself.  I now question why I even had to have those things that way. I evacuate the “but did you die” method and throw to the wayside things that just do not matter.

For a while now, I put so much pressure on myself to do this one thing each week and one day I realized I was not serving myself well by causing myself the anxiety it was bringing forth. I just stopped doing it and guess what…..it was ok.  I was living by limiting beliefs that if the outcome was not just so that I failed and that was so far from the truth.

I admit, I am in the “rule follower” club.  I am still a member but am working toward turning in my membership card.  As I get older, I have more of an attitude of what does it really matter.  I am learning to prioritize things and if something falls to the bottom and I do not get to it, it will be there to handle later.  

I find myself analyzing each action and asking myself if this is something I must do.  Sometimes we do things because we have always done them that way and perhaps now, they are not needed in your life.  I challenge you to look at the things that now are tugging at you as a chore or burden and evaluate if they are still serving you.  Do you still need to do them? Are they things you can let go of?  For me, sometimes they are habits, sometimes they are people, sometimes they are rituals, and the way I determine if they are still serving me is how they make me feel.  Are they adding value to my life?  Will I miss it if it’s gone?  

Try starting with a list of things you know are causing you heart burn and sit with them for a while to see if they no longer serve you.  You probably will find that your life will be just fine without them.