ballast / burden
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burden
A psychological or emotional burden that is felt to be unnecessary and stressful.
Nach der Aussprache fühlte er sich, als hätte er viel emotionalen Ballast abgeworfen.
After the honest conversation, he felt as if he had shed a lot of emotional burden.
ballast
Heavy material such as sand, stones, or water carried in ships, balloons, or vehicles for stabilization and weighting.
Um an Höhe zu gewinnen, warf der Heißluftballon Ballast ab.
To gain altitude, the hot-air balloon dropped ballast.
to shed ballast
To free oneself from unnecessary, superfluous, or burdensome things, habits, or obligations.
Es ist Zeit, alten Ballast abzuwerfen und sich auf das Wesentliche zu konzentrieren.
It is time to shed old ballast and focus on what is essential.
'Ballast' has a literal meaning as weight for stabilization (e.g. in ships) and a more common figurative meaning as a psychological burden. The context makes clear what is meant: is it about technology or about feelings?
Das Schiff lud zusätzlichen Ballast, um bei Sturm stabil zu bleiben.
The ship loaded additional ballast to remain stable in the storm.
In the figurative sense, 'Ballast' (burden) is often combined with adjectives such as 'emotional', 'seelisch' (psychological/emotional), or 'unnötig' (unnecessary) to describe the type of burden more precisely.
Er trägt seit seiner Kindheit viel emotionalen Ballast mit sich herum.
He has been carrying around a lot of emotional baggage since childhood.
The literal meaning of 'Ballast' as physical weight is used mainly in technical fields such as shipping or aviation.
Das U-Boot nahm Wasser als Ballast auf, um tiefer zu sinken.
The submarine took on water as ballast in order to sink deeper.
The most common and important expression is 'Ballast abwerfen' (to shed ballast). It means to free oneself from burdensome things, thoughts, or obligations.
Um neu anzufangen, musste sie zuerst allen alten Ballast abwerfen.
In order to make a fresh start, she first had to shed all her old ballast.
burden / load
Last generally refers to a psychological or emotional burden and can also be connected with a necessary responsibility. Ballast, by contrast, suggests something unnecessary or superfluous. If someone has to carry something heavy, they speak of a Last; if they should free themselves from it, they are more likely to call it Ballast.
Die Schuldgefühle aus der Vergangenheit waren für ihn nur noch unnötiger Ballast.
His feelings of guilt from the past had become nothing more than unnecessary emotional baggage.
Die notwendige Pflege seines Vaters wurde für ihn zu einer großen Last.
Caring for his father, which he had to do, became a great burden for him.
