Lifestyle

25 Unnecessary Attachments Carefree People Don't Have

by Lauren Martin
Stocksy

Life is about attachments. It’s about picking up things along the way until we have a bag full of relics and lessons from the past. Our load gets heavier with each passing year until we no longer remember what it’s like to walk without a heavy burden.

We attach ourselves to so many things that soon we find that our natural right to freedom is nothing more than an illusion. We attach ourselves to people, opinions and superficial objects, like money and time.

We glue ourselves to abstract notions and think that life is in the things around us, next to us and instead of us. We put our worth in intangible notions and unreliable people and wonder why we can’t find real happiness.

Something the Tibetan monks will teach you is that happiness comes with scarcity. With fewer attachments comes a larger sense of internal peace as you get closer to yourself, shedding the unnecessary layers.

As you try to navigate your life, remember that the heavy burdens you carry can be let go. You will be not only happier, but liberated, when you learn to let go of everything around you.

The Approval Of Others

People are going to have opinions of you as long as they have breath in their lungs. Do yourself a favor and stop letting them waste any of yours.

Social Media

Social media platforms comprise the root of all heartache. If you don’t want to see what your ex is posting or those horrible pictures of you when you got too drunk, just get off social media. Trust me, you can learn to live without them and you will find that life is a lot simpler on the other side.

Bad Sex

Why waste your time and notches on bad sex? There are so many other things you could be doing, like finding someone to have good sex with or eating a pizza. Either way, your time is more precious than spending it with someone who’s bad in bed.

Time

Counting the minutes is the first step to refusing to live in the moment and the second step towards wrapping your happiness in moments yet to come. You are better than that, live by the ticking of your desires, not your clock.

Your Exes

In the words of Macbeth, "What’s done is done." There is no need to hold on to your exes anymore than holding on to a dirty sponge. Throw it away before it creates a bigger mess and leaves you wondering why you didn’t just get a new one to begin with.

Fads

Fads are like Kim Kardashian. You think it’s beautiful, then you start to see it everywhere and suddenly all you want to do is get rid of it.

Indecision

Being indecisive will get you nowhere in life. It will keep you shackled to the pavement as you refuse to take the next step. Do yourself a favor and start making choices, because consequences and regrets are better than nothing at all.

The Past

It’s called the past for a reason and that’s where it should stay. Bringing your past into the future is only denying yourself the present.

Bad Television

I know it’s a guilty pleasure, but it’s also sucking the life from you. Five hours spent watching girls rip out each other's extensions and scream about stolen catchphrases are five hours you can never get back.

Regrets

There is nothing you can do now, so wasting your time and energy lamenting over everything you’ve done wrong in life will only give you more regrets.

Nostalgia

We all wish we could go back to the carefree days of our youth, but unless you invent time travel, you’re stuck under the stressful burden of being an adult. Dreaming of the good days behind you is as fruitless as daydreaming of better days in front of you.

Drugs With Bad Comedowns

A perk of being older is being able to afford drugs. The downfall is that you are expected to be able to function under them. If you can’t take the comedown, don’t take the drug.

Parents' Money

It doesn’t matter if you have a trust fund of $5 million, if you don’t learn to make your own money, you’re just an ignorant bum with $5 million dollars. The joys of life come from earning for yourself.

Mass Approval

It’s one thing to ignore one person’s opinion of you, but society’s is another thing entirely. The crowd is like a black hole that will try and suck you in. Those who resist are those who stay alive.

Bad People

You know who they are, even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself. They are the ones who always leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. They are usually very nice to your face, but you should move on before your back gets covered in spit.

Self-Doubt

If you don’t have confidence in yourself, what can you have confidence in? There's no room for self-doubt in a world that's going to judge your every decision. Lighten your load and start trusting yourself.

Guilt

Life is too short for the bitter taste of guilt. It’s a pill you don’t have to swallow and the sooner you stop taking it the better you’ll feel.

Comparisons

Comparing yourself to models will break your heart. Comparing yourself to anyone will keep you from knowing your own. You are the only standard you must compare yourself against.

Diets

Unless you’re eating McDonald's every day, life is too short to be counting calories and denying yourself fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Filters

You look good under the “Mayfair” filter that same way I look good under candlelight. But life isn’t filled with candles and “X-Pro II” filters, so stop living the lie and learn to accept yourself with "no filter."

The Ideal

The ideal is a dream and dreams are for sleeping. Stop wasting your life and your hopes on nothing more than a mere illusion. Prepare for the un-ideal and your life will be filled with surprises.

What Ifs

What ifs are like the chicken pox. They are easy to catch and impossible not to scratch (rhyme not intended). You must resist the urge to avoid long-term scarring.

Closed Doors

If it's closed behind you, there’s no need to look back. If it’s closed in front of you then you must spend your time trying to open it.

Toxic Friendships

Friends, like your past, must be shed when there's no more room in your future for them. Evaluate those relationships closest to you and decide which bring you the most growth and true happiness.

Prejudices

Whether you were raised with them or grew around them, take a serious look at what you’re judging and decide if it’s worth the stigma.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It