Sometimes, You Need to Take Something Away

I’ve been thinking lately about how often our instinct is to add something when things don’t feel right.

Something is wrong, so we look for something to fix it.

A supplement.

A new routine.

A healthier food.

Another strategy.

Another appointment.

Another thing to do.

I know this tendency well.

Recently, I’ve had some issues with my bowels. My usual response would probably have been to think, Okay, what can I take? What should I eat? What supplement might help? What can I do to make this better?

But this time, the answer was surprisingly simple.

Take things away.

For a period of time, I needed to stop eating and give my body some space.

And there was something strangely uncomfortable about that.

Because doing something feels productive.

Not doing something can feel like giving up.

But there is a difference between giving up and giving space.

Sometimes our bodies don't need more input. They need less.

Sometimes they need quiet.

Sometimes they need time to process what is already there.

And I wonder whether this applies to much more than our physical health.

Perhaps we do the same thing in our lives.

We feel overwhelmed, so we add another system to organise ourselves.

We feel disconnected, so we fill our calendar with people and activities.

We feel unhappy, so we buy something, achieve something, start something new.

We feel stuck, so we search for another answer.

We keep adding.

But what if the answer isn't always what else can I put in?

What if the question is:

What can I take away?

What can I stop doing?

What expectation can I release?

What commitment no longer needs to be there?

What noise can I turn down?

What belief can I stop carrying?

What if I don't need to immediately solve what I'm feeling, but instead create enough space to actually feel it?

There is something powerful about allowing things to naturally move through us rather than constantly trying to control the direction.

I think of it like a fire.

Sometimes you need to fight the fire.

Sometimes you need to add water.

Sometimes you need to remove the fuel.

And sometimes…

you just have to let it burn.

Not every fire needs to be extinguished immediately.

Some things need to burn themselves out.

Some things need to be witnessed rather than fixed.

Some situations need action.

Others need patience.

And sometimes the wisest thing we can do is nothing at all.

Not forever.

Not from avoidance.

But intentionally.

Creating space.

Listening.

Feeling.

Allowing.

Trusting that our bodies, our emotions and even our lives sometimes have their own natural direction of flow.

Maybe wellbeing isn't always about adding more things to make ourselves better.

Maybe sometimes wellbeing is about having the courage to take something away.

And seeing what happens when we finally give ourselves room to breathe, process and be.

Perhaps the next time something doesn't feel right, instead of asking, "What do I need to add?" we could ask, "What can I let go of?"