Narrator: Imagine replaying a single, awkward comment from a meeting over and over in your head, hours after everyone else has forgotten it. Or picture yourself lying awake at 3 a.m., your mind racing with a laundry list of worries—from a looming deadline to a vague feeling that you’ve offended a friend. This cycle of clinging to minor slights, anxieties, and past mistakes is a universal human experience. It’s the mental baggage that weighs us down, drains our energy, and keeps us from finding peace in our own lives. We often believe that we are our thoughts, and that this internal noise is an unchangeable part of who we are. But what if it isn't? What if there was a practical, no-nonsense way to simply put that baggage down?

In their book, Let That Sht Go: Find Peace of Mind and Happiness in Your Everyday*, authors Nina Purewal and Kate Petriw offer a direct and accessible guide to do just that. They argue that happiness isn't about achieving a perfect, problem-free existence, but about fundamentally changing our relationship with the negativity we all encounter. The book serves as a toolkit for decluttering the mind, providing actionable strategies to release the anxieties, resentments, and self-criticisms that hold us captive.

Narrator: Before one can let go of anything, one must first recognize what they are holding onto. Purewal and Petriw begin by asserting that most people are walking around with an invisible backpack filled with what they bluntly call "shit"—unresolved anger, past failures, future anxieties, and petty grievances. This isn't just the big, traumatic stuff; it’s the accumulation of small, everyday burdens that collectively become overwhelming.

The authors illustrate this with a common scenario: a professional who receives mildly critical feedback on a project. Instead of processing the feedback constructively, they internalize it as a personal failure. For days, their mind is a whirlwind of negative self-talk. They obsess over the tone of the email, dissect every word, and spiral into thoughts like, "My boss thinks I'm incompetent," or "I'm going to be fired." This single event becomes a heavy weight they carry into other areas of their life, making them irritable with family and unable to enjoy their weekend. The book argues that the initial event isn't the problem. The problem is the person's refusal to let the thought go. It's the mental rumination, the act of re-living and amplifying the negativity, that causes the real suffering. Purewal and Petriw stress that this first step is about mindful awareness—simply noticing, without judgment, the recurring thoughts and emotional patterns that cause us pain. It’s about labeling the thought for what it is: not a reflection of reality, but a piece of mental clutter it’s time to discard.

Narrator: Let That Sht Go* is not a book of abstract philosophy; it’s a manual filled with practical tools. The authors contend that letting go is an active skill, one that requires practice just like any other. They provide a variety of simple, accessible techniques designed to interrupt the cycle of negative thinking in the moment. These aren't complex, time-consuming rituals, but rather quick, effective interventions.

One of the core tools they present is a simple breathing exercise designed to ground a person in the present. They describe a situation where someone is stuck in traffic, growing increasingly frustrated and angry about being late. Their heart is pounding, their jaw is clenched, and their mind is racing with catastrophic thoughts. Instead of succumbing to the rage, the book suggests a simple intervention: the "4-7-8" breath. Inhale quietly through the nose for a count of four, hold the breath for a count of seven, and then exhale completely through the mouth for a count of eight. Repeating this just three or four times can physiologically calm the nervous system, breaking the feedback loop of stress. This simple action creates a moment of pause, a small space between the trigger—the traffic—and the reaction. It’s in this space, the authors explain, that we regain our power. The toolkit is filled with such strategies, from mindfulness exercises to journaling prompts, all aimed at giving the reader a tangible way to manage their mind rather than being managed by it.

Narrator: A central argument in the book is that our suffering often comes not from events themselves, but from the stories we tell ourselves about them. Purewal and Petriw dedicate significant attention to the concept of reframing—the conscious act of changing one’s perspective to find a more empowering or neutral interpretation of a situation. They argue that we are the authors of our own internal narratives, and we have the power to edit them.

To explain this, they offer an example of someone who is unexpectedly laid off from their job. The initial, default narrative is often one of victimhood and failure: "This is a disaster. I'm not good enough. My career is over." This story leads to feelings of despair and helplessness. However, the authors show how this person can consciously reframe the narrative. Instead of a catastrophe, the layoff could be framed as an opportunity. The new story might sound like this: "The old job was unfulfilling and stressful. This is the push I needed to explore a career I'm actually passionate about," or "This is a chance to take some time off, reassess my goals, and come back stronger." The event itself—the job loss—hasn't changed. What has changed is the meaning assigned to it. By reframing, the individual moves from a passive position of victimhood to an active position of agency. The book emphasizes that this isn't about toxic positivity or ignoring pain, but about choosing a perspective that serves you, rather than one that keeps you stuck.

Narrator: The ultimate goal of letting go, according to Purewal and Petriw, is not to achieve a permanent state of bliss but to cultivate the ability to find peace and contentment in the here and now. The culmination of identifying our baggage, using the tools, and reframing our stories is a greater capacity for mindfulness—the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment, without judgment. The authors argue that most of our anxiety stems from worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. The present moment, by contrast, is usually manageable.

They paint a picture of someone washing dishes. The "un-mindful" person might be scrubbing a plate while their mind is a thousand miles away, replaying a conflict from work or stressing about bills. The physical act is happening, but their mental state is one of agitation. The experience is unpleasant. A mindful person, on the other hand, brings their full attention to the task. They feel the warmth of the water on their hands, see the soap bubbles, and hear the sound of the plate becoming clean. Their mind isn't wandering to past grievances or future fears. In that moment, there is no problem to solve—there is only the simple, peaceful act of washing a dish. By learning to anchor ourselves in these small, everyday moments, we can find pockets of calm and relief, even in the midst of a chaotic life. This, the authors conclude, is the true essence of happiness: not a destination to be reached, but a way of being that can be practiced anytime, anywhere.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Let That Sht Go* is that peace of mind is not a passive state we stumble upon, but an active, ongoing practice of release. Nina Purewal and Kate Petriw demystify mindfulness, transforming it from an esoteric concept into a set of concrete, everyday actions. Their core message is one of profound empowerment: you are not at the mercy of your anxious, angry, or self-critical thoughts. You have the ability to observe them, question them, and consciously decide to let them go. The book provides the permission and the practical instructions to finally put down the baggage that no longer serves you.

The true challenge the authors leave with the reader is not in understanding these ideas, but in consistently applying them. It’s easy to agree with the philosophy when things are calm, but much harder to practice it in moments of stress or frustration. The book ultimately asks a simple, yet transformative question: What is one small, negative thought or worry you are holding onto right now, and what would it feel like to simply, for this moment, let it go?