E126 - What You're Holding Onto… Is Holding You Back. Release It!

What You're Holding Onto… Is Holding You Back. (It's time to RELEASE it!) Is there something heavy you’ve been carrying around for a while? A project that never quite gets finished. 
A conversation you keep rehearsing in your head. 
A fear of what people might say if you actually put your work out there. 
A version of yourself you have quietly outgrown but cannot seem to let go of. Friend, you drag this heavy weight for the rest of your life. You're not stuck with it. 
You are just holding on too tight, and it’s time to let it go. In Episode 126 of Create Today, Beth Buffington walks you through the fourth and final word in her "Going FourWords" framework. And this one might be the most important word of all. 
 That word is Release. What You Will Hear in This Episode: • Why we hold on in the first place. Beth opens by asking you to check in with your own heart. • What feels heavy right now? What are you gripping onto that you did not even realize you were carrying? The answer might surprise you. • The science of what rumination is actually doing to your body. When you replay a stressful thought over and over, your nervous system treats it as a real and present threat. That means you can wake up with high cortisol levels from a conversation that has not even happened yet. • What release actually is, and what it is not. Release is not giving up. It is not lowering your standards or quitting on your dreams. Release is the moment you decide: I have done what I can do, and now I am going to trust myself enough to let it go. • Why most procrastination is not laziness at all. What most people call procrastination is actually fear. Fear of judgment, fear of rejection, fear of being seen and not measuring up. Once you understand that, the whole thing becomes a lot easier to work with. • The real cost of almost. Beth talks about how life fills up with“almosts” Projects that are almost done. Conversations almost said. Dreams almost pursued. And how those “almosts” are far more expensive than most people realize, emotionally, physically, and mentally. • Why self-compassion is the actual antidote to perfectionism. Not more discipline. Not more preparation. Not waiting for the perfect moment. Just the decision to say: this is good enough, and I am going to trust it. • A wonderful list of seven practical ways to practice release in your real life. 
From naming what you are carrying, to finishing the thing and sending it, to creating a let-it-go ritual that gives your mind and body the physical experience of releasing, not just the idea of it. • Why this is where the journey becomes real. Revive gave you your energy back. Realize helped you see your life more clearly. Refine gave you permission to do the work. But Release is where you finally trust yourself enough to live your life fully, out loud, without waiting to be perfect. Also Mentioned in This Episode: The Going FourWords Framework by Beth Buffington, the complete four-part journey through Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release The preservative cognition hypothesis and how your brain extends stress responses even before a threat has happened The research connection between self-compassion and lower levels of perfectionism, anxiety, and stress Create Today Membership, a creative community built around using creativity as a practical tool for wellbeing One-to-One Coaching with Beth, personalized for your goals, your path, and your creative life 🔗 Links to Resources:
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https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout If this episode helped you exhale a little, share it with someone who needs it. And if Create Today has added something meaningful to your life, a review means so much and helps more people find their way here. Thank you for being part of this community. TimeStamp:

00:00 Heart Check In 00:58 Why We Hold On 02:59 Four Words Recap 05:47 What Release Means 07:17 Fear Behind Almosts 08:30 Science of Rumination 11:10 Self Compassion Antidote 13:16 Sponsor Create Today 15:22 Seven Ways to Release 22:20 Release One Thing Today 24:53 Framework Repeats 25:35 Share and Farewell