It's okay to not 'Let it go'

Being sad is no big deal and it happens to everyone. There are times when you find yourself holding onto something for too long and you are aware of it. Yet, you can’t help thinking about it. And at times when it shows, you hear people say “Dude, you’re thinking way too much about it. Just let it go.”

Sure, it’s true life has its ups and downs and getting depressed is just a phase. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be feeling sad. There’s a reason why I’m sad in the first place. Those who ask you to move on are usually those who care about you and have the best of intentions. They want us to be happy and perhaps it’d do us good if we let it go. But, when you’re being swallowed up by something and you can’t fight back, being told “Let it go” only makes things worse.

I’m saying it makes things worse because it seems like it’s my fault that I’m still dwelling on it. I feel they’re deriding my pain. My pain is a part of me and in times as those, the echoes of pain is too loud for me to ignore. How then, will I be able to just let it go?

I think ‘Let it go’ is probably the politest response they can conjure when they know we’re down. Maybe they believe if we let it go, we would just bid adieu to all that depression and become normal like before. But tell me, will we ever move on? After all, these are the experiences that have led to our metamorphosis at various points in life and we are our experiences.   

Yes, I have scars and some of those are things that I do not want to go through again but they’re reminders of the person I was. Sure, these things do affect us but compelling myself to let go of my ghosts won’t make life any easier. All the scars will, eventually, stop bleeding.

These things do not define us or the confines of our lives. Not being able to move on doesn’t make us any lesser. In the end, irrespective of whether we have moved on or not, we’ll restore our shattered selves and even though we aren’t the same, the difference does not make us weak. Not the least bit. The next time you’re told to let go of something, do yourself a favour by not listening to that person.