What do you want to let go of? What is preventing you from completely letting go? Eric was inspired by a meditation he heard on the Insight Timer app, titled She Let Go. A very rough outline of our conversation follows: * What does it mean to let go?* Stop doing things that I don’t have the power to carry out (control someone else, e.g.)* What am I letting go of?* Resentment* Anger* Anxiety* Blame* Fear* Shame* Expectations* Catastrophizing the future* The past* The need to be right, to win, to control* Old behavior* “Need” to react to triggers.* Responsibility* Dependence on others* What tools do I have to help me let go?* Slogans* Let go and let God.* How important is it?* Would you rather be right or be happy?* Easy does it. (let go of anxiety)* One day at a time. (let go of worry)* Live and let live – let go of trying to live someone else’s life for them and live my own* Neutral responses* You could be right.* Oh.* Random thoughts* I have no dog in this fight.* Not my circus, not my monkeys!* Let go or be dragged.* Meditation* “Turned a 12-cylinder type A Leo into a 6 cylinder hybrid. Learned to slow down.”* “Why?”* “Drill down” to find something I can actually do something about. Example: I am afraid of my loved one’s drinking. Why? I am afraid that I will lose them. Why? I am afraid of being alone.* When I let go of things I don’t like, I make room for new things (hopefully better things) to come in.* Recognize “alcoholic” behaviors* Provoke conflict* Create anxiety* When I let go of other people’s stuff, I can live my own life. Readings and Links We read from Reaching for Personal Freedom, the Step 1 chapter; Courage to Change, March 5. The poem “She Let Go” was written by Safire Rose, and you can listen to it on Insight Timer, read by Jack Godsman. Al-Anon books can be purchased online at the Al-Anon Store. Patti asked about episodes on regaining trust. There are 3 about trust: How do you trust? – Episode 281, Trust and Trustworthy – Episode 228, and Trust – Episode 91. In addition, this search turns up other shows where trust was a topic in some respect: https://therecoveryshow.com/tag/trust/  Jillian asked about all the songs we've suggested. Many of them are in The Recovery Show playlists on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/therecoveryshow Upcoming topics An upcoming topic is being a single parent and business owner in recovery. Do you have a similar experience in your life that you would like to share? Please call us at 734-707-8795 or email [email protected] with your questions or experience, strength and hope. Or just leave a comment right here. Music from the Show Idina Menzel – Let It Go The Beatles – Let It Be Donna wrote to recommend this Al-Anon talk. She said “I found it captivating, helpful, and hilarious.”