Before You Add More, Release What’s in the Way
- Monica Edwards

- Sep 12
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago

Why doesn’t adding more ever seem to fix the overwhelm?
Another supplement. Another routine. Another productivity app. Another calendar system. The hope is always the same: this one will finally make life feel better.
And yet, instead of lighter, life often feels heavier. Because what you’re really carrying isn’t a lack of effort—it’s a weight of too much.
The secret is simple: before you add more, you have to release.
Why Adding Isn’t Working
Culturally, we’ve been trained to fix problems by piling on solutions. If you’re tired—add caffeine. If you’re stressed—add meditation. If you’re behind—add more hours.
But adding to an already crowded life rarely brings relief. It stacks more weight onto what’s already unsustainable.
Release is different. Release clears. Release creates space. Release makes room for what matters.
Release as Renewal
Release is not loss—it’s the doorway to renewal.
Think of it like pruning a garden: removing what’s dead or draining so the healthy branches can thrive. Without pruning, even the most fertile garden will choke itself.
Your life is no different. What you release makes room for rhythm, resilience, peace—and space to reconnect where it matters most.
What Release Looks Like in Practice
Release doesn’t always mean dramatic change. It can be small, intentional shifts:
Commitments: Saying no to one obligation that drains your energy.
Spaces: Clearing one countertop, drawer, or corner that feels heavy.
Habits: Letting go of routines that deplete instead of restore.
Foods: Releasing processed or artificial foods that dull your energy, replacing them with vibrant, whole ingredients.
Relationships: Creating distance from patterns or people that fragment you, and drawing closer to those who restore.
Mental Weight: Writing down worries to get them out of your head.
Each act of release creates space—for breath, for clarity, and for connection—with yourself, with others, and with what is sacred.
The First Step
Instead of asking “What do I need to add?” try asking:
“What no longer serves me? What can I release?”
Release is the beginning of every real renewal. It’s how roots take hold. It’s how rhythm finds its place. It’s how resilience grows—opening the way for deeper connection to follow.
Before you add, begin here.
Want support in creating space?
Download my free guide: A Week of Intentional Living—simple rhythms that help you release what depletes and invite what restores.
Ready for deeper transformation?
Begin with Release — the first movement of Sacred Lifestyle Architecture™.



