The ghosts of the past return to haunt us whenever we allow them. Each time we slide into the past, we resurrect the painful feelings that broke us, experiencing the torment all over again, this time in the present moment. To remain anchored to the past is to let it dictate the future. How can we shed our past so to enjoy the present?
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Again and again, the misery harbored in the soul rises to the surface every time we grant the ghosts permission. Think about it, we went through those excruciating experiences only once but we relive them many more times when we allow them to get hold of our mind and soul.
Why do we let ourselves be subjected to so much pain coming from the past? Why do we keep torturing ourselves by accessing those same aching feelings?
Healing the body and mind through mindfulness is an ongoing process. It takes time to become mindful, the brain must be trained, even tricked to be riveted in the present. A whole range of practices and techniques are available to help us connect with the present. But the past has its cunning ways to get us, so it’s twice as heavy.
The first step towards relinquishing the past is to accept it. Disgraceful, disappointing, infamous, violent, heartbreaking, unfortunate, bitter, or however it may be, we must let go of it.
Moving forward doesn’t necessarily imply removing all those bad emotions from the mind, but looking at them from another perspective. Not cutting them off completely, just putting them in a different place, somewhere safe and sound. Emotional injuries can’t be cured if we look the other way. We have to take a step back, detach ourselves and accept those tormenting feelings exactly as they are.
Human beings fear change. Change is darn hard so we incessantly seek excuses against letting go.
It’s really tough to assess and then make a shift. In order to change, we must relive the anger, the fury, the disgust or the shame we felt that moment in time. Only after acknowledging them can we throw ourselves into the process of healing. Usually, that entails three of our driving sources, love, fear, and rage.
How to stop the past haunt your present?
1. You must face your deepest fears. You must access that exact emotion and feed on it. You have to challenge it, deconstruct it and then look it in the face.
2. Let go of old perspectives, reevaluate and see the painful experiences from a different perspective.
3. Emotional blockage must be fractured, you should make an effort to reexamine your feelings and emotions. Accepting your mistakes and learning from them.
4. It’s in our nature to go back to what hurt us so much. Dispose yourself from bad habits.
5. Set a goal. Look towards the bright future.
6. Declutter your space. And mind. Literally. Make room for the future.
7. Forgive. Forgive them. Forgive yourself.
8. Start repairing. From the outside towards the inside. If you know you’ve done wrong to a friend or family member, make an attempt to mend those relationships. Even if they were the ones who hurt you.
9. Go back, reframe. Rewrite your story. Transform it. With more maturity and empathy.
10. Practice mindfulness. Our greatest aim.
Cure your emotional injuries now! Life is too short to live in the past! Pass it on!
