The art of surrender is a complicated one. You may think, what a beautiful word, it sounds so … nice. Like a big sigh of relief. Like closing your eyes at the end of a long day. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that Surrender, IS nice. In even that split second of succumbing to whatever swirls around you (be it children, work, medical issues, or responsibilities etc.) there is peace. True peace – the kind you feel when all stars align. 

It’s the work in getting there, or staying there just a second longer, that is messy. And hard. All that swirls around you? The chaos? The stress? It doesn’t necessarily change or go away. But contrary to the popular beliefs – push harder, keep going, fix it – sometimes the answer is to be still, let go, lean in. 

I aimed to write a blog to recap 2022, and this is all my brain could come up with – Surrender. What lessons have I learned? What did I do this year? What felt helpful or successful or important? Surrender. What’s happening now in my life? What will 2023 bring? What do I want out of the next year? Surrender. I even went as far as to ask for inspiration from family and friends for writing about 2022 and this is what I got: Be still, Let go. I think it’s become more and more clear as time passes from “The Pandemic Year” that we’ve all agreed – in anything you do, remember, you’re human. 

I could go on and remind you that a new year brings new opportunities, or that this is a great time to manifest change, write down your goals, do something new. All of that is fine, great really, but I’ll also remind you that some times are meant for surrendering. There is no right way, but from 2022 I’ve learned that some things do help practice this kind of search for peace. These are also things that others I had asked, brought up as well:

Be still – The very situations that always led me to the conclusion of surrendering this year were originally led by productivity. Busyness. Doing. Going. All the time. Truthfully, more times than not, it was exhaustion that caused me to slow down, and to eventually stop. I would always recognize this as The Universe telling me the slow the f*ck down. To be still. In that stillness, what swirls around becomes that much more clear. Like standing in the eye of a storm. Seeing the direction and guidance you needed. 

Let go – Sometimes part of this glimpse down the right path would be the start of letting go. I’ve never met a person that disagrees that change is hard, so letting go of an idea, a “what could have been,” or even a relationship or person is certainly not the easy or sought after decision. In addition to imagining all of the wonderful things you plan to add to your life this year, I also encourage you to let go, freely, and without worry, of anything at all that doesn’t serve you. 

Lean in – Possibly the hardest of them all, surrendering to out-of-our-control situations often comes with the need to lean into whatever you may have been fighting against. Struggling with the idea of change? Frustrated with the outcome of something that simply isn’t going your way? Maybe just overwhelmed and overstimulated by those day to day tasks? Stop fighting, stop pulling away from those tough feelings or thoughts. Lean in, accept, and surrender. Feel those feelings. Let them be. They may tell you a story you never imagined. 

All in all, 2022 has taught me that sometimes the best thing you can do, is not the easy one. Whether it be serious and intense, or those silly little annoyances that sometimes just get to us, surrendering may just be the most helpful thing to try. Practicing ways that allow us to be human BEINGS, and less of human Doings. Slowing down, taking that deep breath, but instead of charging ahead, stand still. Observe. Feel. Lean in. 2023 may surprise you.