Preloading

What Men Need to Understand About the Art of Letting Go

Season 4 Episode 410
Aired on 11/12/2016 | CC tv-14
In their journey toward healing, many of the men working with Iyanla are challenging themselves to let go of the destructive habits and inappropriate behaviors that have been holding them back from stepping into their true identities. However, Iyanla points out, the art of letting go is nuanced.

"There's a distinction between letting it go and beating yourself up because you do it," she says.

Holding on to certain issues, Iyanla continues, can become painful and, for many people, unbearable. For black men, in particular, that pain often builds and builds—but, according to Iyanla, it doesn't have to. "Men can tolerate pain because they've never been taught how to express it. So, when the pain gets capped off, that's when you punch a wall, call a name, throw a brick, drink, smoke, whatever you're doing," she says. "Stop asking yourself to accommodate pain."

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