Releasing Resentment, Jealousy, and Anger to Step Into Your True Self

This reflection explores what happens when we stop carrying emotions that were never meant to stay with us—and choose to step forward lighter, clearer, and more honest.

Many of us carry resentment, jealousy, and anger without even realizing it, never recognizing how releasing resentment and anger can free us to move differently through life. These emotions quietly live beneath the surface, shaping our thoughts, decisions, and the way we move through the world. Over time, they become invisible blocks—keeping us stuck, disconnected, and playing smaller than we were meant to.

From the moment we’re born, our environment begins to shape us. Family dynamics, birth order, expectations, and early experiences all contribute to the identities we form. We take on roles, beliefs, and emotional patterns that feel real and permanent, even though many of them are limiting beliefs formed early in life—but in truth, many of them are simply stories we’ve repeated long enough to believe.

The powerful realization comes when you understand this: most limiting beliefs exist only in the mind. The person you resent may not even know you feel that way. The comparison, jealousy, or anger lives within you, quietly draining your energy and holding you back from your full potential.

At some point, personal growth requires radical honesty. You begin to see that the only person standing in your way is yourself.

Jim Rohn once said, “The greatest gift you can give someone else is you working on yourself.”  Our thoughts influence everything—our health, our confidence, our relationships, and the choices we make. Only your thoughts make you turn down the job. Only your thoughts keep you from saying yes to love. Every action—or inaction—begins in the mind.

So the question becomes: what would happen if you chose to release what no longer serves you? What if you freed up the emotional space you’ve been giving to resentment and redirected it toward becoming who you were always meant to be?

This reflection connects closely to the conversation explored on Real Conversations With Kelly : The Letter She Never Burned.

What emotion are you still carrying that no longer belongs to who you’re becoming?

A Fire Burning Ceremony for Emotional Release

One simple yet powerful tool for emotional healing, emotional release, and mindset transformation is a fire burning ceremony.

Begin by writing a letter to the person you feel the most unresolved emotion toward—or create a list of the negative beliefs you’ve carried about yourself. Take the paper outside to a fire pit or a metal bowl. Hold it to your heart and allow yourself to fully feel the weight of those words.

When you’re ready, say out loud: “I now release you.” Place the paper into the fire and watch it burn. Close your eyes. Feel the emotional release. Place your hand on your heart, take a deep breath, and consciously breathe in clarity, confidence, and peace. When it feels complete, turn away and step forward—symbolically and energetically—into your next version.

Why Letting Go Only Works If You Choose Change.

You may be wondering if a practice like this actually creates real change.

The truth is—it won’t, unless you do.

If you walk back into your life and continue thinking, speaking, and acting the same way, nothing changes. But what if you walk back with a new sense of self-trust? What if you decide that you are not your past patterns and that you are capable of choosing differently?

Transformation happens when you embody the change.

To make it stick, you must begin seeing yourself as the person who takes the opportunity. The person who says yes. The person who enters a room grounded, confident, and aligned. You move through life knowing who you are—not because you’re trying to prove it, but because you’ve finally accepted it.

This kind of inner work is not about one moment of release—it’s about choosing yourself again and again. Inside A Year To Be You, this practice becomes less about letting go once and more about learning how to move forward without carrying what no longer fits.

A Year To Be You to the program page.

You are not defined by old stories. You are not limited by past beliefs. You have decided. It is done.

Now go out there—and burn some limitations.

This post is part of the Drop The Mic reflection series—an ongoing collection of personal growth insights inspired by conversations from the podcast.

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About the Author

Heather Browning is the co-host of the Real Conversations With Kelly podcast, where honest, meaningful dialogue explores personal growth, self-awareness, and the real experiences of women navigating midlife transitions. Through her writing and conversations, Heather empowers women to reconnect with who they truly are, uncover their inner strength, and remember the greatness that has always lived within them. Her work invites women to give themselves permission to rise, evolve, and thrive through every season of life.

Follow Heather on Instagram:

 https://www.instagram.com/heatherb_dropthemic/