How To Let Go Of The Past And Keep Moving Forward.
One mighty big piece of the puzzle that I discovered in my healing journey was to not regret the past but to learn from it.
Do you sometimes feel a bit irritated because life didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to be? That the way it unfolded took a left and not a right turn ? That the people in your ideal scenario were absent from the stage and weren’t even waiting in the wings to appear in the final act to a boom of applause?
You’re not alone we all do it to a greater or lesser extent. Learning how to let go is not easy but thinking about the way things “should” have gone is toxic for your mental wellbeing, and it really brings you nothing but grief. If things in your life haven’t gone the way you hoped, dwelling on this will only bring you unhappiness, and hold you back from uncovering your true potential.
Letting go of the past isn’t easy, especially if you’ve been holding onto intense negative beliefs for way longer than a hot minute. The longer you’ve been dwelling on the past, the more difficult it will be to change those thought patterns. Now here’s the thing, it’s not impossible, it just takes some dedication and practice to change the way your brain sees the situation.
First things first, you have to let go of how you “thought” things were supposed to go. This is key for how to let things go. Holding onto “could’ve” “should’ve” and “would’ve” is really a waste of energy.
We try and try to manipulate the outside world to match our internal preferences and most of the time, life throws us curve balls that we don’t expect. We hold on to ideas of “how it was supposed to go,” and by never letting go of the past, it causes us to feel turbulence inside of us that create feelings of depression, anxiety, overwhelm, and regret. Not great feelings to have, right?
Almost all of us hold on to an idea or situation we thought was supposed to be different and that holds us back from truly living our best lives and keeps us playing small instead of living big. What if you let go of the ideas you have of how the past should have gone? Everything looked through the lens of “Everything happens for a reason” or “everything happens for a reason that serves me”? This is one method for how to let go of the past. Everything that’s happened in your past has led you to where you are at this moment. You are where you’re meant to be this very second. Focus on how to forget the past preconceived notions you had for your life.
When you’re stuck in the past, you aren’t living your life in the moment, meaning you certainly aren’t living your best life, the here and now is where it’s at. One way you can focus on letting go of the past is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about being in the here-and-now, observing each moment as it comes without judgment. Easier said than done, I know. But practice makes perfect! Mindfulness will also help you reduce anxiety and gain much needed mental clarity, both of which will help you keep moving forward and live life in the moment.
Letting go of the past allows you to tap into what you want NOW, which will lead you to be inspired to find your true purpose and passion in life at this moment. The past is irrelevant, what matters is the now. Do what you want now! What brings you pleasure, what fulfils your desires, what brings you closer to your goal? If you don’t know how to let go, you don’t know how to live your best life. So, take a deep breath and just let that shit go 😊
Before you completely move forward from your past, see what you can learn from it. There are always lessons to be learned from the things that happen to us in life. Instead of looking back at the past and just moping about it, look at it objectively.
Ask yourself ,what did I learn from this situation and how have I become stronger? This will give you insights into how the situation actually happened for you and made you stronger as a person. Writing down this information in a journal can help you slow down and process your thoughts, and this is a great tool for learning how to let go.
Now that you’ve analysed, asked, and learned how to let things go, you are truly on the right path to keep moving forward. The last step is to do just that MOVE !
Movement is life. You have to keep going, you have to trust that the universe has more in store for you, but you have to be willing to take a risk and take the next step. When we hold on to the past, it locks us up in a cage. But once we find the key, that was in our pockets all along and unlock the cage , we move forward and the universe will unfold in a more beautiful way than we could ever imagine.
If you would like some extra support in letting go, you can connect with me here to find out how.
