The Art of Letting Go by Nick Trenton

Letting go isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not something that happens just because we tell ourselves to “move on” or “stop overthinking.” It’s a process—often slow, sometimes uncomfortable—but every once in a while, a book comes along and quietly nudges you in the right direction. The Art of Letting Go by Nick Trenton is one of those rare books.

I didn’t come to this book looking for revelations. I’ve already been practicing many of the tools it talks about, especially journaling. In fact, journaling has been a part of my life for years now—something I do for clarity, and something I encourage my kids to do as well. But what struck me was the way Trenton gave a new dimension to this familiar act. He describes it as “brain dumping”—pouring your emotions, fears, confusions onto paper without filtering, letting them exist outside the swirl of your thoughts. It’s a simple shift in perspective, but it hit me deeply. Sometimes, the most effective tools are the ones we already know—just reframed in a way that makes us see them with fresh eyes.

One line early in the book stayed with me: “Your mind should ideally be your safe zone, not the noisiest place in the world.” It’s such a gentle reminder, and yet it cuts to the heart of what many of us struggle with. Trenton doesn’t make grand claims. Instead, he walks you through small, doable steps—like observing your emotions instead of reacting to them, distancing yourself from toxic urgency, and choosing reflection over reactivity.

What I appreciated most is how rooted his methods are in actual psychological practice, without sounding clinical. He weaves in ideas like externalization and self-distancing with the ease of someone who isn’t trying to teach, but to share. The tone feels less like advice and more like a thoughtful conversation—one that doesn’t tell you what to feel, but gently reminds you that it’s okay to feel everything.

There’s a section on perfectionism that really spoke to me—on how we tie our worth to productivity, or hold ourselves hostage to impossible standards. But Trenton doesn’t advocate for laziness or detachment. He talks about replacing the drive for perfection with a pursuit of excellence—one that’s motivated by curiosity and meaning, not fear or comparison.

Much of what he shares are things I already believe in, but sometimes we need to hear them again, through a quieter voice. A book like this doesn’t shout. It doesn’t try to overhaul your entire life. Instead, it offers you space. And sometimes, that’s all we need.

In a world that’s constantly telling us to do more, fix more, be more—this book reminds us that it’s okay to pause. To observe. To breathe. And most importantly, to let go, a little at a time.

(The author of this blog, Shweta, is a certified NLP practitioner who loves to write about family, relationships, and her takeaways from conversations, books, and movies. She believes in soulful storytelling and finding personal meaning through everyday reflections.)