A little while ago, I posted about unlearning and was asked this question,
“How does one unlearn?”
Simply, when we use a clean slate, it is easy for us to write whatever we wish. Writing on something that already has something written, however, is quite a task as what’s written is no longer legible. To see the writing clearly, we must clear the slate of the earlier text and start again.
Similarly, to live life to the fullest, we must clear ourselves of the text we write now and then, on this slate called life. This text is our conditioning of ages, our expectations, our approach and reactions towards people and situations. It comes from our past experiences and is a big deciding factor on how we look at life.
Now, you’re thinking, can we change our past experiences? We can’t change them, but we can always learn from them and let go of them as letting go can make our life so much simpler and easier. Letting go is an excellent way of clearing our clogged system.
There are many ways to let go of things:
- Look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. When we look at a particular situation, we tend to get obsessed with whatever went wrong with and how badly it affected us. Take a conscious step back and look at the situation. Try to understand the reasons behind the other person’s behavior.
- Forgiveness helps us let go of the hurt and pain we experience when we feel wronged. Forgiveness goes a long way to healing us and allows us to take a healthier look at life. I will talk about forgiveness at length in another post.
- Try out at least one thing a month that is outside your comfort zone.
- Declutter. Your room, your house, your relationships, your life. Start small.
- Any form of physical activity or exercise, dance, swimming helps us let go of the thoughts that are constantly running through our minds. It also helps us focus and concentrate better.
The best way to unlearn is to take that first step to letting go.
Do let me know if these tips helped you get started.
I’m also very interested in any other thoughts you have on unlearning. Please tell me in the comments.