The past can be intimidating, hurtful, and cause unwanted emotional pain. But, on the other hand, it can spark up beautiful memories and positive feelings. While the great moments you’ve endured in life can make you feel joyful, accomplished, and hopeful, difficult times can do the opposite. This is why it’s imperative to heal from your past pains so that they don’t negatively impact your life.
Letting go of the past isn’t easy, but it allows us to grow in unimaginable ways that we can use as lessons to help navigate life. You may have had a rough past. However, that doesn’t determine the person you’re developing into because life is constantly changing and change is always an opportunity for growth. Consequently, if you don’t let go of the past, it can stagnate in your personal development, relationships, happiness, and success.
Your past is behind you and no matter what it looks like, it doesn’t determine the person you are now and what’s in store for you in the future. In today’s post, I will be sharing the tips from my own personal experience of how letting go of the past has helped me create a new life and become the best version of myself. So, here are 3 steps to let go of the past and live your life!
HOW TO LET GO OF THE PAST
ACKNOWLEDGE
The first step towards letting go of any unresolved issues is acknowledging and accepting the past for what it was. This may also consist of forgiving yourself and others for the role they’ve played in your emotional hurt and any pain they may have caused. Although you may still deal with the outcome of certain situations today, it’s important to address anything of the past that you are still holding to so that you’re not self-sabotaging your growth and blessings. One of the many lessons I’ve learned in life is, that your past can be your biggest lesson or blessing. Meaning, you can’t go back and change the past, but you do have the power to use your struggles and failures to change your life for the better!
Taking the initiative to heal and let go of the past isn’t the most exciting thing. For me, it was extremely uncomfortable and challenging at first, but I knew that it was necessary. When you accept and acknowledge the painful feelings of the past, you’re able to live in the present. Moreover, by doing so, you began to blossom in other areas of your life and become a happier person.
HEAL
Healing from your past is a process and vital if you want to live a joyful life. But, unfortunately, we sometimes put our happiness in others, material things, achievements, and things we are pursuing in our daily lives. Therefore, if you avoid your emotional pain, it will only grow more over time. That’s why it’s vital to nourish yourself and take the steps needed to heal your inner self so that those experiences no longer control how to live your life and make decisions.
True healing promotes personal growth, and with that, you have the power to become more in control of your life. When you heal and let go of your past pain, you no longer self-sabotage yourself by allowing your past experiences to control the outcome of your life today.
MOVE FORWARD
Lastly, once you’ve acknowledged and healed from your past, this will allow you to move forward live your life to the fullest. No longer will you be held back by your fears, insecurities, or failures. However, you must choose to live a life that promotes freedom, prosperity, and growth. Moving forward and letting go and releasing pain from the past is essential for you to live in the present and create space for great things to happen in your life.
By letting go of the past, you elevate your life. This doesn’t mean that you forget or ignore those moments, but you learn that your reality is whatever you create it to be. The way you think and feel about yourself influences your daily habits and your attitudes towards the future. A few ways you can encourage yourself to move forward and let go of negative emotions are, practicing self-love, journaling, creating healthy habits, and letting go of toxic habits.