The Rocks You Have Been Carrying In Your Backpack

You’ve been carrying around some deep feelings about things that have happened in the past.  You can either continue to carry that weight on your shoulders in your backpack or you can choose to set it down and leave it right here.  You get to decide if what you’ve been carrying around is really helping you or slowing you down and preventing you from achieving your goals.  Let’s take a look at what’s exactly in your backpack.

Backpack Visualization

In order to fully imagine this process, visualize an actual backpack.  See yourself opening the backpack and inside there are a ton of rocks.  The rock vary in shape, size, color, and weight.  Some rocks may be large, jagged, ugly, and heavy.  While other rocks may be smaller, smooth, beautiful, and light.  Each rock represents past experiences, memories, and beliefs you think to be true.  You’ve picked up each rock over the course of your life.  Maybe you’ve held onto it as a reminder of what you’ve been through so that you’ll never forget.  It could be a teachable moment or lesson you learned.  Perhaps this rock was a time from your past that you’ll always cherish and want to remember.  Either way, you often pick up and continue carrying rocks that aren’t always serving your highest good.  Maybe because your life has changed, your goals, dreams, and aspirations.  Perhaps you’ve grown out of something or just held onto a rock that has served its purpose but you’re having a hard time letting it go because maybe you’ll just need it again in the future.  Let’s see what these rocks really mean for you, your life, and future.

Negative Feelings

First, your backpack may be filled with a ton of rocks that represent your negative feelings.  These rocks are weighing you down.  This is the anger and resentment you feel.  It’s also the sadness, the tears, and unhappiness you’ve felt.  It’s the feeling of loneliness, abandonment, and fear.  It’s the grief and guilt about things in your past.  It’s the self doubt and feeling like you’re not enough or worthy.  It’s moments from your past that have made you feel less than and insecure.  All of these rocks are weighing heavily on you.

Positive Feelings

Next, there are the rocks in your backpack that sparkle and shine like a bright light.  These are the happy moments, the times of joy, laughter, fun, and pure happiness.  It’s the times you recall that make you squeal with excitement.  It’s the good things that sometimes you take for granted.  Even the smallest, littlest of things that bring even the slightest smile to your face.  It’s the cherished memories from the past.  It’s the moments of love, when you felt someone’s arm wrap around your shoulder telling you it’s okay.  It’s the feeling of safety and support.  These are the rocks you want to hold onto for safekeeping.

Repack Your Backpack

Now that you’ve inspected each rock closely, it’s time to repack your backpack.  I’m sure you immediately repack the sparkly rocks of good memories.  But, what about the other hideous, massive rocks you’ve been carrying?  What are you going to do with those?  It’s your choice to refill your backpack with everything that you’ve found or leave some of those old rocks behind.

Heavy Backpack

Consider what it would take for you to finally exhale.  To let go of the things holding you back.  It’s those heavy rocks that have been weighing you down all this time.  Sometimes you don’t even realize you’ve been carrying around this heavy of a backpack until you stop to take it off and really analyze what’s inside.  Think about what you’re no longer going to do, believe, or participate in.  The thoughts, memories, and beliefs that constantly plague you.  Instead, choosing you, your future self, your goals, and dreams over carrying around this weight anymore.  It’s deciding to let go of the unhelpful rocks for good in order to stop stressing, worrying, and living in survival fight or flight mode.

You Are Safe

It’s time to focus on calming your nervous system to remind yourself that you are safe.  Part of your anxiety in life is coming from carrying around too many of the rocks that you were never meant to hold onto.  These rocks do not need a permanent spot in your backpack.  These rocks include the grief that has never had enough room to fully leave your body.  It’s the rocks of exhaustion from constantly trying to predict the things you cannot control.  The fear you’ve been carrying disappears when you let go of the heavy rocks and begin to trust yourself again.  Remind yourself that the danger has passed and that you are safe now.  You can safely remove these rocks from your backpack.  You no longer need to hold onto them.

Lighten Your Backpack

Those old, dirty, ugly rocks in your backpack have no place in there anymore.  Imagine what it would feel like to lighten your backpack and be able to walk around without the weight, not out of breath.  You would literally have that weight lifted off your shoulders.  You could finally exhale, relax, and breathe calmly with a sense of peace.  It would give you more space in your backpack for the good things in your life and more of those gorgeous, shiny rocks.  What if leaving behind these negative rocks was the only thing standing in your way of achieving your goals and living your dream life?  Would you let go of them then?  Or still cling and hang onto them for dear life out of fear that you’ll someday need them as a reminder of what you’ve been through?

The scars on your heart will remain even if you remove some of the rocks from your backpack.  However, the rocks won’t have as much power over you anymore.  Instead, you can begin to heal your heart with more of the glimmers and shiny rocks that prove it’s not all bad and you are safe.  This takes time but the more shiny rocks you fill your backpack up with, the more it will help.  Be mindful of the rocks you’re keeping in your backpack.  Every now and then, unpack your backpack and let go of the rocks weighing you down.  A lighter backpack will give you a sense of safety and help you achieve your goals faster.

Take Action Challenge

Lighten Your Backpack

Step 1: Unpack Your Backpack

Grab a journal or piece of paper and imagine opening your backpack.

Create two columns:

• Heavy Rocks
• Shiny Rocks

Under the Heavy Rocks, write down:

• Fears
• Past hurts
• Resentment
• Self doubt
• Grief
• Limiting beliefs
• Stressors
• Old memories you keep replaying

Under the Shiny Rocks, write down:

• Happy memories
• Supportive people
• Wins
• Gratitude
• Things that make you feel safe, peaceful, and alive

Notice what’s taking up the most space in your backpack right now.

Step 2: Identify The Heaviest Rock

Ask yourself, what is the one thing you're carrying that is weighing you down the most emotionally, mentally, or physically?

Then, journal:

• Why have you been holding onto this?
• How is it affecting your life today?
• What would feel possible if you finally let it go?

Step 3: Create A Release Ritual

Choose one heavy rock to release this week.

You can:

• Write it down and tear it up
• Burn the paper safely
• Throw a real rock into water
• Speak it out loud and consciously release it

As you do, remind yourself that you no longer need to carry this to protect yourself anymore.

Step 4: Replace The Weight With Something Healing

Choose one thing that helps you feel lighter, safer, calmer, or more supported.

Examples:

• Going for a walk
• Listening to music
• Journaling
• Resting
• Spending time with someone safe
• Practicing gratitude
• Taking action toward your goals

Your backpack is not meant to be filled with only heavy rocks of pain.

Step 5: Check Your Backpack Regularly

At the end of the week, ask yourself, what rocks have you picked back up that you need to set back down again?

Healing is not one single moment.  It’s repeatedly choosing to stop carrying what no longer belongs with you.