How to Let Go and Trust the Universe

How this Post Came to Be

For much of my life, I’ve had some control issues.

Ok, I am trying to down play it. I have definitely had my struggles with trying to control things in life.

Of course, the origination of those control issues has to do with experiences early on in life. As children, we typically do not have much say about what happens on a daily basis. And, when you live in an unpredictable household, this can create issues.

For myself, there were few things I could control in my environment. And, as a result, when things were within my control, I held onto it with a death grip—no one was going to pull it from my fingers.

Personally, I believe that control issues are a common theme in our world. Here are a few examples:

• When political parties are at each other throats, it is usually because they are vying for control.
• For the thousands of people who suffer with eating disorders on a daily basis, its rooted in control (of course there are a great number of influences and mental health concerns with it, but control was a catalyst which triggered a chain reaction of events).
• When someone uses intimidation to convince another person to do something, it is a control-based move.
• Anger issues and violence, control.

We could seriously go on and on with examples of control in our society, but I will leave it at that for now.

Control is an illusion.

Ellen Langer

Control and Letting Go—They’re Kinda Opposites.

When I first started on my spirituality path, letting go was the biggest hurdle for me to overcome. In many instances, I’d say, “How? How do I let go and Trust the Universe?”

After years (or decades) of trying to control everything around me, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the process of letting go.

But, it is time to recognize the importance of surrendering. Letting ourselves make peace with what has been, what is, and what will be.

I’ve struggled with the concept so much my viewpoint of the matter came from a place of control. I wanted to a step-by-step guide on how to turn my problems over to the Universe. Or, a guide on how to control the process (Uh, the opposite of what Trusting the Universe means).

Well, there isn’t really a guidebook to tell you How to Trust the Universe. If there was, it would be enormous because there are so many variables to consider for each person.

There are, however, certainly practices you can implement into your daily life. You can find them listed below.

Does this mean you need to do every single one of them daily? No. Pick the practice that resonates with you the most. You do not need to do everything.

On especially difficult days, when you are struggling to Trust the Universe, try a couple of different practices.

Above all, the most important thing you can do is consistently practice turning things over to the Universe. The more you do it, the better you will get at it. If you practice only a couple of times a year, then you probably won’t get the results you desire.

8 Ways to Let Go and Allow Trust of the Universe to Enter Your Life

Below you will find eight ways to help you let go and allow the Universe to guide you. These will take practice. So, if you don’t have ah-MAZ-ing results with doing in once (or only a handful of times), you gotta keep at it!!

Be persistent. Practice. The more you let go and allow the Universe to unfold as planned, the better off you will be.

Seriously, I’m speaking from experience here!

1. Meditation.

When we practice meditation, we focus on the present. Meditation is an art of being in the present moment and letting go of the past and future. By meditating, we are better able to tap into the Universe and accept guidance from our higher self.

A friend once told me to “focus on the feeling” while meditating. Think a

2. Mindfulness.

Similar to the manner in which meditation teaches us to be present, mindfulness is also a practice in the present moment. The distinguishing difference—the manner in which they are practiced.

• Mindfulness can be done almost anywhere whereas meditation is often done while sitting. To practice mindfulness (or being in the present moment) in the shower, you can pay attention to the way the water flows down your body. The way the water makes you feel. And, how you body responds to the flow of the water.
• In another example, you can practice mindfulness while you are eating. Before taking your first bite of food, you take a couple of deep breaths to become present in the moment. You smell your food and acknowledge your surroundings. The process of mindfulness can take as long as 60-second before you actually take a bite of your food.
• You may also consider yoga as a practice of mindfulness. While some consider yoga to be a means of improving health, it is also a way to practice self-love and care for your body and soul.

3. Intuition.

Your intuition is your gift from the Universe. We are innately intuitive beings. At birth, infants are in tune with their body and know exactly how much food they need to grow. As we get older, parents (and other members of society) start to make us second guess our innate knowledge of hunger versus satiety. The same can be said for our intuition. We are born intuitive, but (often well-meaning) people cause us to second guess ourselves.

4. Mantras.

The origination of mantras was a word or phrase said repeatedly to help stay focused during meditation. In modern society, people use mantras for other reasons, such as a way to shift attention to something we desire in life. For myself, there is a mantra I hold close to my heart. The origin of this mantra in my life is a story we will have to save for another time, but it goes like this:

I trust the Universe will provide; it is all unfolding exactly as planned.

• Of course there are many other mantras you can recite. A quick Google search will help you to find some that resonate with you. However you go about finding your mantra, make sure to focus on the mantra with your heart. Mantras are not a matter of the mind. I taught my daughter to make the distinction by thinking about the way her heart fluttered when she cuddled one of our cats. Or, the way our dog makes her heart happy when she gets home. That is the feeling you want in your heart when you are focused on repeating a mantra.

5. Love.

Let love into your heart, a lot like the description of the way a dog can make your heart feel when you get home. The more you welcome love, the less you will feel the need to control everything. When you view life from a place of love, you open new doors.

6. Accept what is. Surrender.

Oh, this one can be difficult. Especially for my type-A friends. We’ve lived a life trying to control as much as possible. However, we can’t force anything to happen that isn’t meant to be. And, while it can be hard to accept, often even greater things end up happening… we just have to be patient and allow the Universe to provide.

7. Journal.

Writing out your thoughts, dreams, and desires. Allow your subconscious to guide you. This can be a practice of answering a specific question or simply letting the pen guide you. If you are looking for some journal prompts, Ashley Looker has so many great ones. She is kinda a journaling fanatic—in the best way possible!

If you are struggling to tap into your subconscious while journaling, consider meditating or doing some yoga beforehand.

8. Releasing Ceremony.

Write down your intentions and release them to the Universe. This can be done in a ritual type of fashion. Or, can just simply written down.

The Universe Knows Best

While it may feel difficult to learn how to Trust the Universe, it can happen with practice and the techniques listed above. The most important thing you can do is surrender. Free yourself of what you think needs to happen and accept what is.

“Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.”

Nora roberts

That magic is the Universe in action and it is a beautiful thing when you learn to let go and Trust the Universe.