Women With High-Level Souls Usually Have To Let Go Of 10 Things In Order To Be Happy
Inside Creative House | Shutterstock We often think about happiness through the pursuit of something, but what if true meaning in life came from simply letting go?
According to an NPJ Mental Health Research study, that might be the case. Whether it's forgiving yourself for old mistakes or letting go of a grudge in a relationship, finding true happiness and peace comes from unwinding yourself from the grasp of unnecessary stress and mental turmoil. It's the women with high-level souls who usually have to let go of these things in order to be happy, and while it might take some practice, it's always worth it in the end.
Women with high-level souls usually have to let go of 10 things in order to be happy
1. Regrets and past mistakes
dekazigzag | Shutterstock
As psychotherapist David Richo explains, understanding and forgiving ourselves for past mistakes and regrets can help us to know ourselves better. When we let go of shame and regret, we can learn from our mistakes without holding them so closely to our chests.
Authentic women who feel secure and happy in their lives forgive themselves daily. Whether it's regrets about how they handled a situation or a mistake they made at someone else's expense in a past relationship, they honor their ability to forgive by releasing themselves from the shackles of guilt.
2. Seeking closure from the wrong people
You don't need closure from someone to move on and forgive. While we've been socialized into placing stock in people's words and reassurance for our own security, the happiest women choose to forgive and find closure themselves. Especially with people who don't deserve their time and energy, letting go of a need for traditional "closure" gives them their power back.
From safeguarding their health and stress levels to protecting themselves from being drained by toxic people, for these women, closure means figuring out how to move forward by letting go of grudges and past struggles on their own accord.
3. Materialism and status-driven purchases
Whether it's a means of coping with loneliness or dealing with emotional turmoil, seeking "control" through spending and feeding into materialism only creates more stress and sadness in its path. Especially in the status-driven society that urges us to overspend and lean into consumerism at the expense of valuable experiences, it's no surprise that women feel like they have to cultivate material things to feel "worthy."
However, women who have cultivated a healthy balance of intentional things with meaningful experiences don't place their worth in their "stuff." They find ways to cope with anxiety and connect with people that don't come at the expense of their bank account.
4. External validation and reassurance
Women who have been socialized to seek validation from others often weave their self-worth to external outlets. When they break up with people, lose their jobs, or experience hardship in their lives, it's not just a disappointment, but a major chip away at their self-esteem.
Women who feel secure and happy in themselves don't need validation, and they've let go of the need for attention and reassurance from others to feel secure. They feed themselves by living authentically and cultivating habits that genuinely uplift them internally, rather than using misguided relationships, social plans, and online attention.
5. Guilt around resting
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
Whether it's a side effect of being a chronic overachiever or a desire to put everyone else's needs above their own, women who are living in a state of perpetual burnout often feel guilty for resting. However, avoiding quietness, alone time, and rest only keeps them feeling drained amid everyday life and unfulfilled by the interactions they're trying to make space for.
Even if it means prioritizing themselves when everything feels chaotic, energetically grounded and high-value women always rest without guilt. To show up spiritually, emotionally and socially, they need this time to recharge, and it's nonnegotiable.
6. Adopting other people's emotions as their own
While truly happy women are often sensitive and in touch with emotions, both internally and with others, they've chosen to let go of the need to feel people's pain as if it's their own. They no longer adopt the negativity from gossip or chronic complaining, and they refuse to tolerate misbehavior to please others.
While it might seem overly simplistic, Stanford University psychologists found that changing your attitude and motivations around how you want to feel can actually help you to absorb the right people's energy. For example, if you want to feel less angry, you'll be more influenced by someone else's calmness.
High-value women are intentional with their energy in these ways, only surrounding themselves with people who actually mirror the feelings and peace they're trying to cultivate.
7. Rigid labels
Whether it's a label in a relationship they've been holding onto with the wrong person or an identity-defining label that no longer suits their lifestyle, holding onto definitions and rigid labels can drain a person's energy. We feel a pressure to conform and live within the label's bounds, even if we'd feel freer by simply letting it go.
As psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman explains, a pressure to follow and adopt certain labels can even predict all kinds of self-fulfilling prophecies that sabotage our well-being. From clinging to your "gifted" label from when you were a child to defining your romantic interests with a label that feels like a trap, these are the kinds of labels that don't provide meaning, but instead sabotage it.
8. Old version of themselves
It's natural for us to grow as people over the course of our lives, from relationships to personality shifts, and even our values and beliefs. We're not meant to be stagnant creatures, which is why the happiest people often let go of things and versions of themselves that no longer bring value to create space for the ones that do.
If you're clinging to the comfort and familiarity of your situation, you might feel secure, but you'll miss out on the growth that comes with discomfort and change. You'll likely stay in relationships and situations that drain your energy, instead of energizing you. Truly high-level souls are always evolving, even if it's not toward anything specific, and that's where their value in life comes from.
9. A need for control over everything
BongkarnGraphic | Shutterstock
When we foster a sense of control in our lives, we do often feel more secure and report better well-being. However, when control is the primary motive of our lives, influencing how we interact with people and the misguided coping mechanisms we lean on when things get tough, it can cause more harm than good.
We're holding onto other people's opinions, avoidance, and hyper-independence for a few fleeting moments of comfort, even if freedom truly comes from letting all of that go. We can't control everything, and truly happy women know that. They might try to find healthy habits and relationships that make them feel secure, but they also get comfortable with the unpredictable nature of their lives.
10. The illusion or urgency
Many people are stuck in a lifestyle that pressures them to be moving and busy at all times. They're brushing their teeth like they're being timed and rushing around at the expense of their nervous system, usually trying to cope with an inner baseline of stress that's not being regulated. However, this urgency is an illusion, especially in a culture that glamorizes burnout and works us to our breaking point time and time again.
Women with high-level souls and a true feeling of groundedness in their routines don't subject themselves to this kind of lifestyle and pressure. They've let go of the need to be moving and have started feeding into mindfulness that instead protects their nervous system. They rest their bodies without guilt, appreciate their routines intentionally, and carve out space for slowness that the average person doesn't.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
