The past can be a difficult, tricky subject for many; a time that’s made up memories of mistakes, regret, disappointment and pain. Yet, none of us have the ability to go back and change the past, so what do we often do, instead? Muse on it. And to what end? Usually to hurt ourselves emotionally, mentally and even physically. Far better is to find a way to move on from the past – but how…?
Deal with your relationship with the past
Do you hold on to your past? If so, it could well be limiting your ability to truly live in the present – and move on in the future. Just thinking back won’t bring times past back or help you to hit some sort of a reset, let alone an undo, button.
It’s important to face up to and tackle things in your life you look back on negatively – counseling or therapy, if you feel it might help, can be beneficial here – but wallowing in unpleasant memories of the past aren’t helpful. That’s effectively living in the past.
The only point in thinking back on these memories – the real reason your mind may return to these memories – is so you can sort them out for yourself, emotionally. So, you maybe should try to be proactive when they do pop into your mind; access them and deal with them, so you can move on. So, they don’t plague you in the present and in the future.
Learn to love yourself
Want to love your life? To be frank, it’s probably unlikely to happen unless you learn to love yourself first – something we firmly believe in at Karma Foundation Harrow England. Learning how to let go of the past is a big first step, which can then be built on by learning how to stop negatively – and constantly – judging and criticising yourself. Sure, it’s natural and human to do so; but done to excess, it can be very unhealthy and destructive.
So, ideally, you want to get to a point when you can embrace the perfect in you and of course, the imperfect, which will be much of what you are. That means accepting who you are and who you’re not; thereby empowering your inner strength by loving yourself without judgement – or, at least, without too much of it. Try to remember that, ultimately, it’s you who’s the source and the architect of the happiness you seek.
Let forgiveness in
Looking at other people and their effect on you, it’s important to focus on the truth that holding grudges and keeping resentment in your heart rarely does you good, ultimately. Not only will it doubtless hurt the other person concerned (if that’s relevant; if you’re still in contact with them), but will likely increase any suffering you feel.
Try to choose positivity
Finally, looking at your present life and the future; it’s important to try and embrace improved thinking and habits. That means, perhaps more than anything else, embracing positivity.
Challenging, difficult and bad things happen to everybody and, sometimes, it’s impossible to prevent them, but adopting a positive approach to life and a positive, healthy lifestyle means you’ll doubtless limit their occurrence and probably be better prepared to deal with them when they do occur. That doesn’t mean trying to change everything in your life for the better all in one go, though; your aim maybe ought to be setting achievable goals and, thus, changing your habits and your lifestyle on a step-by-step basis. Good luck!