Let The Past Go: Here’s How
We often hold tight to the past unable to let go of previous experiences even though they have only brought pain and suffering. Many get stuck in the past because we have a need to certainty and certainty is the past because we already know what happened. Certainty is one of the basic needs of humans, along with five others that are about survival. We all want the certainty that we can avoid pain while being somewhat comfortable in our lives. When we let go of the past, it requires us to step into an unknown, the future. This requires courage enough to let go of the familiar and vulnerability enough to embrace and learn from what is to come. Another reason we may struggle to let go is the link emotions often have to information. When feelings attach to information, we hold tighter to it. It makes an impression because we are impacted in a significant way and it is more difficult to let go of that past event. This is very true of things that cause pain and suffering. For those who are biologically predisposed to gather information, those with a feminine core, are also more likely to struggle with letting go of the past. Still, we must learn to let go so we can find a healthier, happier path in life.
There are a few tips below to get your started:
Turn Letting Go Into A Must
The first step of letting go is to acknowledge what is holding you back and understand why you need to move on. Once you have identified the person or situation that is holding you back, then you can ask yourself why you need to move beyond it. Think about how your life could change if you just let it go. Taking the time to really think this through can help you stay committed to letting go of the past. This also sets a clear sense of purpose so you can reach the goal of letting go. There will be times when you want to quit, but clear purpose keeps you focused and dedicated.
Emotional Habit Identification
Identifying your emotional habits is a challenging aspect of letting go because you must do deep internal work using introspection. You need to honestly figure out how you live life, your limiting beliefs, and how you live emotionally speaking. It can be easy to get used to certain emotions, positive and negative, and then not realize how they affect your life. This can leave you stuck in an emotional loop, but you feel like you are reacting like anyone would in a situation. Our personal emotional habits influence the way we view life, how we act, and how well we can let go and move forward. Identifying our emotional habits is the beginning of moving toward a more positive experience. We can train our emotions to feel a certain way, but we must make sure to focus on the positive emotions and strengthen them. The more we strengthen them, the more likely those positive emotions arise when we are challenged.
Condition The Mind
Breakthroughs in life occur by learning strategies like developing an empowering story and ensuring you are in the right frame of mind to let go and move forward. To get to this point, you must work on conditioning your mind daily. If you never take the time to examine and change habits, then life just happens to you instead of for you. You must guard the mind or you will be disillusioned and distracted which will keep you stuck in the negative. Feed your mind daily with positive things and new knowledge. Learn to surround yourself with positive people and cultivate a better you.
Empowering Rituals
It is obvious that letting go of the past is not easy. Having empowering rituals can help keep you on track and cultivate a positive mindset. Successful people have a daily routine and these often include a healthy breakfast, exercise, meditation, and learning new things. These rituals help you build momentum and can bring on positive, immense change. Along with the rituals, practice gratitude daily as it helps you live in the moment instead of the past. A gratitude journal can help as you list things that you are grateful for in your current life. Understand that all that has happened in your past has made you who you are, someone who can bounce back from anything. Loving yourself and life can make it easier to let go of the past.
Focus On What You Can Control
So much of life’s pain comes when we try to control the feelings and actions of others. Circumstances are not the result of a mysterious force, but mostly our choices and decisions. We can change positives to negatives, failures to lessons, and much more. This starts with being able to accept that the only thing we fully control in life is our own decisions and actions. Each day, we have a chance to start over beginning the moment we wake up. Start making decisions that will break old patterns and create the life you deserve without dwelling on the past.
Personal Growth
Start immediately working on a personal growth plan to help you let go and move on from the past. A focus on learning and improving is empowering, but also a distraction from the negative. What do you want out of each area of life? Once you figure this out, your personal growth journey can begin.
Positive People
When the people around you are constantly reminding you of the past, it is more difficult to let go. Surround yourself with positive people committed to growth and progress and it will be easier to move on. We tend to live up or down to the expectations of our peer group, so set yourself up for success.
Give Back
Strive to understand how to let go of your past and find something to serve that is greater than yourself. Live for others in some way with the right motives behind your choices. We all have something to offer, whether it is time, money, or a listening ear. Giving back will help your life improve dramatically and you will more easily move on from the past. Remember, your life matters and we exist not just to get, but to give. Others will feel your authenticity and share with you. Focusing on the needs of others is empowering.