Closing certain chapters in our lives sometimes seems tough, almost impossible.
And it is impossible. Until you learn how to do it.
So come along to master closing a chapter you no longer need in your life so you can grow and gain back your happiness.
Ready? Let’s roll!
Take Time to Reflect
When closing a chapter, what you need most is a quiet time of reflection. Without it, you’d be doing what you’ve been doing in your old chapter, which would keep you from actually moving on.
Self-reflection leads you to get a better sense of who you are, know yourself deeper both of which help you make better decisions and develop better relationships.
Here are ways to practice self-reflection when you want to end a chapter in your life:
- Set a schedule for reflection: Instead of freelancing your way through it, set a time you’d reflect and stick to that routine.
- Start small: Progress, not quantity is the most important thing here. To get used to reflecting, you need to start with the timeframe you can accomplish and work your way to bigger goals as you start loving it. And I promise you’d love it.
- Observe the way your old chapter truly was: When you’re ruminating over your past, it’s hard to spot truths in it. But instead, go back to the real memories and relearn the facts of all that happened. Start from the beginning to the end and even write it if you must.
Here are setups of self-reflection you can choose from:
- Take at least an hour walk in nature at least once a week
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual to reflect
- If your schedule allows, go for a holiday someplace quiet and reflect purposefully on the last chapter of your life story
- Stay in a dark room totally invested in your life story
Accept What Happened
When you take time to reflect, you’d realize exactly what happened. But you must accept that which happened in order to move forward.
Acceptance is to see a situation as it is. It’s about believing the reality of an event.
When you accept that something happened, you’ll make room for an answer to the question, “What’s the best I can do to respond to what happened?” It helps you let go of the hurt and move on to the new chapter of your life with lessons.
Speaking of lessons…
Related: Getting Over A Breakup Is A Chance – Get Over Your Ex Fast
Note Down Lessons
Once you accept that something happened, you need to be intentional about learning a lesson from that event.
Keep in mind that you have to repeat the reality to yourself that you may note some things you need to know. Even when you’ve been a victim, you have much to learn.
From a failed relationship for instance, you can learn that you played a part in making the other person act the way they did which helps you improve yourself to not make the mistake again.
If you were a victim in a particular difficult situation, you can learn of the ways to stay strong despite such challenges. You can also learn how to keep away from toxic situations and deal with those that hurt you in a graceful manner.You get to learn a whole new world perspective.
Always, there’s something to learn. So learn.
Plan For the Transition Chapter
You might be excited to end the last chapter an that’s great. But you better slow down for this reason: transition periods are very uncertain times that need boundaries and self-care strategies to effectively get over an old chapter.
This is where you decide which friends to keep and which to let go, how to keep up the hope in God, the new endeavors to keep you busy, and many other aspects. This where you keep a blueprint for maintaining your sanity and productivity while putting away the things of the old.
To plan smartly, you can ask yourself:
- What parts of the old chapter don’t I need anymore
- Which triggers of the past should I keep off?
- How would I like my normal day to go?
- What would I do if doubts about leaving my job/ex/friendship/business crop up?
- What self-care strategies can help me thrive?
Unplanned factors would come up of course but since you’ve already set some boundaries, you’d be able to deal with surprises much more wisely.
Related: Monthly Goals And How To Set Them In A SMART Way!
Refocus on Your Priorities
When you’re seeking to close a chapter in your life that no longer serves you, it’s vital to look at what matters most to you. This is where you start letting go of the non-necessities of the old chapter and as a result, end it.
If you stopped working on what you were passionate about because a new relationship came along, it’s time to reignite that passion. If you lost connection with your loved ones as things got busy in your job, it’s time to focus on them now that you’ve quit. You get the point.
What are you willing to fight for?
Ask yourself what you value most, what gives you joy most, and the responsibilities you must look into. And if you’re feeling lost, here are Insights And How To Find Meaning Again.
Distance Yourself
If you want to close an old chapter, stop getting acquainted with its contents.
If you had friends in the past life you want to leave, break from that friendship – even if for a time. If social media is the place triggering memories you don’t want to dwell on, take a social media break or at least quit following the old information. If the one who hurt you is the same person you meet on your way to the gym, change the route.
Do whatever it takes to distance yourself from emotional triggers taking you to the past.
Talk to Someone
It’s not easy to go through this journey alone. And talking is one of the best therapies for getting people through difficult transitons. You not only get to hear yourself by talking but also get motivation to actually do what you’re talking about.
And yet, you don’t need a therapist to close a chapter of your life you no longer need. Even a friend can help.
Seek someone you can trust and share about your desire to move on from the past. Let them give you perspective. You might realize how much you’ve grown from the experience and get renewed hope for new beginnings.
Hold Close Support
When transitioning to the next chapter, you need support to help you actually go through the process to heal and go after new beginnings.
Be it friends, a support group, or family members, don’t hesitate to lean on their shoulders eve if you know you did the right thing ending a chapter. They would help keep you accountable, hold you when things get tough, and even become your coach for starting a new path in your life.
Treasure Mindfulness
During transitions, we’re tempted to try figuring out the big picture. But the sad truth is that at such hard times we’re feeling most vulnerable and therefore, susceptible to destructive fallacies.
To avoid falling into the pits of helplessness among other irrational thoughts, remind yourself to be conscious of the now when you’re tempted to ruminate over the big picture or details of your life.
When you’re going through a difficult time, just getting by the day consciously is a big enough achievement. And it adds up greatly to future successes. For this reason, you can check out Ways To Be Intentional Every Day.
Stay Accountable
To ensure you’re walking the talk or the plan you had for transitioning, you have to choose who you’re going to report your progress to and actually do so.
It should be someone interested in your progress at this juncture in your life and promote it by being your accountability partner.
Move Forward
Closing a chapter means being open to a new one. But how can you be open to a new one without actually getting yourself out there?
To get over another friendship, you need to be open to meeting new ones. To leave the old job, you have to make applications to a new one. To quit addiction and embrace sobriety, you have to seek a sober circle.
To close a chapter doesn’t mean you remain stagnant. It means you keep moving away from your past.
More on Closing a Chapter in Your Life
Are you still asking yourself questions about ending an old chapter in your life? Let’s sum those in a few.
How do you close a chapter? Closing a chapter in life
- Take Time to Reflect
- Accept What Happened
- Note Down Lessons
- Plan For the Transition Chapter
- Refocus on Your Priorities
- Distance Yourself
- Talk to Someone
- Hold Close Support
- Treasure Mindfulness
- Stay Accountable
- Move Forward
What do you need to close the chapter on?
You can close chapters on:
- Toxic friendships
- Romantic relationships
- Job
- Grief over a loved one
- Trauma
- Sickness
What does it mean to start a new chapter in life? Closing a chapter and starting a new one
What it means to start a new chapter is to begin doing new things that symbolize an ending of the past period of your life and an opportunity to live a new experience. It means you perceive a certain event as the place you chose to change or where life opens a new door to new things for you.
How to close a chapter with your ex – Closing the chapter in a relationship
- Leave with transparency: Let your ex know you’re not doing the relationship anymore
- Let emotions flow in grieving: To heal you have to let yourself feel the hurt
- Accept and let go: Agree with the reality, and let loose your expectations of what was to happen.
- Find yourself: Before finding someone else, get to know and have time with yourself.
Onto Closing Your Old Chapter
Now that you’ve learned closing a chapter in your life, it’s time to actually do it. I know it won’t be easy but remember just like the way others have done it, you can do it as well.
Cheers to your closing chapter in the story of your life. Onto new beginnings!
What chapter are you closing? I’d love to read from you in the comments and don’t forget to share this piece if you liked it!
