We all have a past. We can’t change it, no matter how much we might want to. What we can do is change how we react to it.
We can accept that it happened, learn from it and move on with our present lives, or we can be trapped by our past, constantly going over what happened and focusing on how we wish it could have been different.
Being stuck in the past is like carrying a heavy weight around with you. That weight will hold you back. Just like letting go of a heavy weight, letting go of the past will make you feel lighter.
The past is gone and it doesn’t determine our future unless we let it. That applies to both circumstances and people. You have the power to choose how you live your life, and the people you want to share it with. Not all people we meet are meant to be in our lives forever. It can be hard to break ties with people, particularly if they are close family members, but if you need to do that, you’ll feel better once you have.
Be compassionate towards yourself, and allow yourself to grieve if you’re making a break with someone.
You may have unprocessed emotions from your past which are keeping you stuck. They may be unprocessed because they’re painful and you’re fearful of facing them. Until you do, you’ll remain trapped by them, and they’ll become stuck in your body. Long term unprocessed emotions can even lead to physical pain.
It may be that you need to forgive someone, or to forgive yourself. Doing so can take time, but it can release you from the weight of the past and allow you to move forward with your life.
If you need help with forgiveness, take a look at the video I made about it, which you can find on my YouTube channel (@newdawnwithjackiewilliamson).
Here are a few more ways which could help you to move on from your past:
1 – Have a good clear-out of physical objects from around your home and workspace. Get rid of anything you no longer need and which reminds you of something in your past that you want to let go of. It could be old photos, pictures, books, clothes, jewellery, paperwork from an old job. Clutter attracts stagnant energy, and clearing the clutter allows new, fresh energy to flow in.
2 – If someone has hurt you or you’ve hurt someone else, write a letter to them about your feelings. You don’t have to send it, but getting the feelings down on paper helps you to get them out of your body. If you’re not going to send it, either burn it or shred it and then get rid of the shredded paper.
3 – Journal your feelings about any past circumstance which you’re having difficulty letting go of. As with a letter, it gets the feelings out of your body and could help you to see any lessons in the situation which you can learn from.
4 – Punch out any frustration, resentment, hurt and anger about a past situation or person to get the feelings out of your body. Just stand up and punch hard into the air in front of you for as long as you need to in order to get all that pent up emotion out of your body.
5 – Write down on a piece of paper all the things you want to let go of; those thoughts and feelings that are keeping you stuck in the past. When you’ve finished your list, burn the piece of paper in a fireplace if you have one, or outdoors in a firepit or other fireproof container. While it’s burning, watch the smoke and know that you are releasing all the things you wrote down, into the ether and out of your life.
Once you’ve released whatever or whoever is keeping you stuck in the past, you’ll be able to move forward with your life. It’s said that the universe abhors a vacuum, so when you’re released something or someone from your life there’ll be space for something new and fresh to enter in.
