Happy Thursday!
As October draws to a close and Halloween is tomorrow, many reach for costumes and masks. Beneath the pretending we do for fun—and for real—in our daily lives, knowingly or not, lies a simple truth: peace comes from the courage to be genuine.
This month, we have been exploring Detachment—learning how to release what we cannot control so that balance and clarity can return. As we close this month, consider detachment as an invitation to live more truthfully.
Detachment invites us to put down the roles we carry—the ones we take on to be accepted, to achieve, or to feel safe. When we stop holding so tightly to who we think we should be, we begin to recognize who we truly are. In that recognition, peace naturally returns.
Unmasking Through Detachment
We all wear masks. I do, you do. Some help you move through work, family, and daily life. Others start to harden into identity, shaping how you respond and how others expect you to be.
Over time, the mask becomes familiar. You adjust to it without noticing. The smile, the tone, the posture—all practiced ways of staying composed. Yet the body knows when effort replaces ease: hunched shoulders, a tense jaw, shallow breath.
When you live behind these masks for too long, you start managing moments instead of experiencing them.
Letting go is the process of loosening that grip. It is a return to what feels genuinely like you—not the version you show to the world, rather the self that remains when everything else is set down. Each time you release the image you have tried to hold, you meet the calmer, stronger self that is always—and I do mean always—there.
My Experience
There were seasons when I believed composure was strength—that the calm, capable version of me had to appear no matter what was happening inside. For years, it worked. Holding everything together gave me a sense of order; it also kept me very guarded. I felt like I had to be the strong one.
Eventually, I began to feel the strain. My shoulders were in big knots. Every muscle in my lower back was tight. I tried to measure my thoughts and words. Control had become a habit—and one I started resenting.
Feeling like I always had to be the rock, the leader… what about when I needed to be lifted up? No one was there for me because no one thought I needed help—and I did.
Then I saw that control and honesty do not always share the same space.
When I started allowing people to see more of me—even the uncertain parts—connection deepened. Conversations opened. Work began to flow with more meaning. The moment I stopped managing how I was seen, relief washed over me.
Letting go gives you this freedom. It allows you to meet life as you are—steady, human, unpolished.
Peace and ease come when we finally allow ourselves to release control.
Letting Yourself Be Seen
You can begin to practice this unmasking in small, everyday ways:
When you feel the urge to explain
Pause. Breathe. Then, speak to express what is true for you. Let honesty guide your words.
When life moves differently than you planned.
Notice your first impulse—to fix or to resist. Once again, breathe and ask, “Who am I when I no longer need to prove anything?”
At home or work
Create and act from where you are now. Let go of perfection. What you share with the world will feel more real.
When connection feels heavy
Release the need to hold everything together. Carry what is yours to carry and leave the rest.
Each of these small acts will show that when you stop performing and start showing up as yourself, peace expands in your world.
A Simple Practice to Let Go
- At the end of your day, take a few minutes to sit in stillness.
- Think of one role or identity you carried that felt heavy.
- Take three deep breaths. With each exhale, feel yourself loosening your hold on it.
- Say to yourself, “I am enough, even without this role.”
Notice what shifts when you stop trying to be anything more than yourself.
Personal Reflection
Here is your opportunity to go deeper with this conversation through prompts inspired by my book Take a Shot at Happiness. These reflections help you embody the lesson rather than simply think about it.
Photo Op
Capture an image that represents what is true to you right now. Who are you? What is meaningful to you? It can be anything—there is no right or wrong.
Action Opportunity
Before the week closes, look at your photo and ask: “Where in my life can I be more honest about who I am?” Write one sentence that names how you want to show up with more ease.
Store both your photo and your note in the Take a Shot at Happiness App as your reminder that peace grows when you live unguarded.
There is still more. Continue Here ⬇️
You can go even further through my recent Best Holistic Life article, a new podcast conversation, the app, and my transformative travel journeys—all designed to support your wholebeing in mind, body, and spirit.
As you celebrate Halloween, may the only mask you wear be for fun—and may the person beneath it feel seen, accepted, and free.
Here is to letting go of the need to perform and embracing the relief of being real.
Happy Halloween, Darling.🎃
With love and gratitude,
Maria
P.S. 💖 Know someone who may need this reminder to breathe and be themselves? Feel free to forward this message.
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P.P.S. My Insight Timer meditations, live and recorded, are quiet spaces for releasing what words alone cannot reach. 💖
