When we speak of cycles we refer to those life processes that begin, develop and end. Thus, although in practice nothing really ends at all, it is important to learn to close cycles when the process is exhausted, to move on and avoid getting stuck.
To do this, first of all you have to know how to differentiate between closing cycles and having a loss. The closing of major stages of life entails losses and implies grief, but it does not have the sudden or profoundly painful character that losses as such entail. Therefore, the closing of a cycle includes losses, but these do not necessarily include a closing of the cycle.
Now, the important thing about closing cycles is that it directly affects what will be done in the future. If the cycle, whatever it is, remains open, it interferes with personal advancement. It is like leaving a leaky faucet unrepaired and hoping that this does not affect the economic and ecological cost of water.
Let’s see what are some of those ways to close cycles:
To close cycles, the first thing is to let go
Human beings tend to cling to the known, no matter how negative. Habit is a very powerful force that impels us to remain inertia. It is perceived as if it were easier to bear the bad known, than to undertake the adventure of the good to know.
Hands releasing birds symbolizing psychological reactance
Therefore, there is usually a resistance to closing cycles. There is a part of us that would like to continue in the same way and not experience any uncertainty in the face of the new. Hence the first task is to let go. A cycle is closed when the process is completed and only remnants of it remain. Closing can only be done consciously. There may no longer be something to hold onto, but mentally we are still connected to it. Letting go is a way of acknowledging the new reality.
Say goodbye and take stock
Although closing cycles refers to abandoning realities that hurt us, it will always cause a duel. Therefore, it is necessary to allow ourselves to live that sadness that the endings bring with them and to say goodbye to that reality that is about to disappear. The best way to do this is by building a memory of what has been lived.
Cycles are not closed by sticking your head in the ground like an ostrich. Nor turning our backs on what is happening to avoid feeling bad. The best thing is to review, step by step, each of the experiences that were part of that process. Identify the beginning, the most relevant moments and the sensations we experience.
From this, a balance can be made, an evaluation of the positive, and also complicated, experiences that occurred in that cycle. What was learned and what was not. What it contributed to our growth and how it contributed to our limitations. This is the best way to say goodbye.
The moment to undertake
The main objective of closing cycles is to put ourselves at peace with the immediate past, to move forward without what we have experienced affects us, or invades our present. Every end also implies a beginning. That beginning should be the focus of our attention and interest.
Willing woman walking after closing cycles
The new does not have to scare us. It is normal that it implies an initial imbalance, but in a relatively short time it will begin to reveal its benefits. Moving from the known to the uncertain always has a touch of adventure and involves learning, surprises and, of course, adaptations. Most of the time, changes give us much more than they take from us.
You have to embrace change like a new friend. We must see a new cycle as the opportunity to put into practice what we have learned in the previous one and to expand what we already know, polish what is raw or take a turn to grow.
Closing cycles is vital to our mental health. Otherwise, we will feel crammed and confused about the future. What has gone, you have to give it a first-rate burial and say goodbye. The new must be received with open arms and a welcome in the heart.
