Baggage, what do you think of when you hear the word?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary has a variety of definitions:
- suitcases, trunks, and personal belongings of travels
- transportable equipment especially of military force
- intangible things (such as feelings circumstance, or beliefs) that get in the way
It’s this last definition that I think of when I hear the word, and it’s this definition that I want to focus on here – emotional baggage that can weigh us down.
For me “baggage” conjures something old, torn, outdated. It can feel heavy. Emotional baggage is something that we often start picking up at an early age and unconsciously carry into adulthood. It doesn’t necessarily get heavy all at once. It can build up slowly over time. We often don’t realize we’re carrying our baggage until later down the road of life when messy, old and overstuffed emotions start spilling out to trip us up and slow down our journey.
We can pick up emotional baggage throughout our lives when we experience trauma, loss, abuse, divorce or failed relationships among other things. As the years progress, emotional baggage can become like a junk drawer or an overstuffed closet that you can’t easily open or shove one more thing into. It becomes too much for us to carry.
Sometimes we don’t know or understand why we feel tired, overwhelmed, sad or lack of energy. We might realize one day that it feels hard to breathe, or that our journey feels difficult and we don’t feel like we can continue. This is our baggage sending us signals, even gifts. If we can be patient with ourselves and compassionate with our more challenging emotions, then our baggage can make us more aware of who we are and how we respond. It can lead us to healing and to finding our joy and purpose in life. The baggage that we’re struggling to carry can teach us so much once we recognize and acknowledge that it’s weighing us down.
It’s not always easy to relinquish our baggage, but I know from experience that God doesn’t want us carrying it around, burdened by it. When we hand it over to Him, He can and will help us unpack it. Here are some ways that might lighten your load:
- Ask God to help you unpack. It’s ok to share your anger, hurt and tears with Him. You can share anything and everything with Him. This was hard for me at first, but the more I did it, the easier it became, and the more joy I experienced.
- Be patient with yourself. Give yourself time and space to feel the range of your emotions. Acknowledge them so you can truly let them go. As you move through your feelings, you will experience the freedom of release.
- Set boundaries for yourself. This takes time and practice. You may have to consciously release or redefine relationships or places to start the healing process.
- Acknowledge and let go of what you can’t control.
- Find a good support system with friends who will listen without judgement. Seek professional help if you need it.
- Start a gratitude journal. Each day write down three things that you are grateful for and why.
- Ask yourself “What have I learned and how can I help others”?
- Celebrate every victory, big or small.
- HOPE! – Embrace the gift of hope for a new beginning.
As you unpack your baggage, you can repack its gifts into beautiful new luggage that you want to carry with you while navigating life. “Luggage” makes me think of quality, craftsmanship and beauty. Sleek new luggage often rolls easily on its wheels, in any direction, with little effort, allowing a traveler the freedom of movement to reach desired destinations.
Carry luggage vs. baggage:
L – love yourself
U – understanding
G – grace
G – gratitude
A – appreciation
G- growth
E – excitement for the future
Thank you again Marie, I can relate to each one of your blogs so easily. I have baggage I need to let go of and move forward in life. Thank you
Well Done! Below is the line that got to my heart:
“If we can be patient with ourselves and compassionate with our more challenging emotions, then our baggage can make us more aware of who we are and how we respond. It can lead us to healing and to finding our joy and purpose in life.”
I recently became STUCK in the wrong terminal (looking back at old baggage). The wheels had wobbled off my new luggage on 3 sides! But once again, you have reminded me to keep traveling!! Thank you, Marie!
Thank you. I’m happy it spoke to you. Stay on the journey.
Thanks Marie, for the encouraging thoughts and inspiration, as women we do need step by step instructions on how to unpack our burdens and these principles are good steps to find peace.
Love you! And may God continue to use you in a mighty way.
~Cassandra C
Thank you for reading my blog. Peace comes as we start unpack our baggage. It is a step by step process.
Brilliant messages and dynamic mnemonics on “Luggage”, relating how our “baggage” whether physical or emotion impacts what we carry around which impacts us as well as others around our energetic field, feels brilliant! Grateful to have the opportunity to experience wise lessons from Eva Marie Webber for particularly empowering heart to heart conversations!! 🙂
Yes, the baggage we carry does impact us and the ones around us. Good news, we can unpack it! It takes time but it can be done.
Great article. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us.
You are welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the blog.
Another insightful piece from Marie! her choice of topic is once again very relatable and helped me to reflect on the changes and things I have released in my life and the continuation of my own journey to release all the old baggage as I replace it with the gits of new luggage for my journey forward! Once again, love the acronym for the word luggage and is a keeper!
Thank you. It’s so freeing when we let the baggage go and start carrying luggage.