How do I let go of my past?

In a catchy way, my advice is to move forward. Focus more on going TO something instead of THROUGH something. With that said, letting go of the past is not always easy. I get it. It takes time. It sucks to hear that, but seriously, letting go of the past takes time. One of the main things I do to help let go of the past is to see if there's a lesson in this "past" I'm trying to let go of. I think that viewing the past from a different perspective can help with letting go of it. Also ask yourself, "What about the past am I holding on to?"

Letting go can be hard, but the way that you can do it is just by taking it one step at a time. You have to understand that you are forever affected by it, so if you can't let go instantly, that's fine. It will take a long time before you can, it literally just takes time for those wounds to heal. You can open up to people that you trust, or talk to one of us at 7Cups to help, but the main point is that talking to people, taking your time, and not trying to rush recovery is going to be the best way to let go of your past.

Something that has helped me lately is the realisation that I might have felt sad, stressed and unhappy in the past, but by feeling sad about having felt sad all I really do is multiplying the amount of sadness I feel. Now I try to look back and just think by myself "okay, so I was not really happy back then, but I have learned from it. It is okay that I was not happy all the time and that is not going to upset me". Hopefully this helps a little! Have a lovely day and good luck!

Letting go of your past is a gradual process that may fake a few days or months depending on the person so trying to rush this does not help. To let go of your past, you have to accept that what happened before is not what will define your future and that you are much more than any problem that has plagued you in the past. To let go of your past, you would think in terms of the future. Every time I get a bad result on a test or an assignment, I have the tendency to dwell on my faillure but that won't do me any good. My main goal now is to think in terms of the future and see how I can grow from it and be better at it. This can also be applied to mental health and trauma. Even though you may have been at a low, it is never where you will stay forever and you can always change it if you believe you can :)

First of all, I acknowledge that it happened. Secondly, I accept that there is nothing that I could do about it. Thirdly, I can imagine that if it happened again, what would I do better to avoid regrets? If I find it difficult to let go of my past right now. It's entirely okay too. I would whisper to my ears that it's no rush to let go of the past if I am not ready. I would consider cultivate loving kindness and self-love and self-compassion in me. If possible, I may try to talk to me in a way that what would reply if a dear friend asked me this. How would I be a support to them? If I am more courageous in some way, I could try to share this difficulty with a trusted friend/family member that I know I won't be judged - and see what they have for me. By simply having this question is already a wonderful step.

With compassion. The decisions that you made in the past were based off of the person that you were then, and with the limitations of the knowledge available to you at the time. Regrets show us that we've grown. We now have knowledge that we didn't then, to help guide us into making different decisions than we would have at that point in time. It's easier said than done. One thing that helps me is looking at the past version of me and considering how a separate person in that situation would have reacted given the circumstances. It can be easier to forgive others the effects of the world on them than ourselves.

In my opinion, in order to let go of your past you need to focus on your present. Unless what you need to let go is trauma related, moving forward and improving your present can help you let go of your past. Additionally, giving it time can help, as time can heal many wounds. If time and focusing on the now do not work, working with a therapist can help you understand your trauma and find techniques to deal with your feelings. You may never be able to completely let go of your past, but you can learn to accept it and move forward.

Letting go of the past can be a process. I think letting go starts with accepting what happened in the past and not convincing yourself it could be different. Then through that acceptance one is able to focus on moving forward and not letting the past dictate the present and the future. We have a hard time letting go of the past when we are still attached to it emotionally. Non-attachment of things such as the past is important. Recognizing what is no longer helpful for us and making a conscious effort to not let any lingering unhelpful things stay with us.

Often times, if I feel I can't move on, no amount of willpower will do the trick. I have to find a more tangible or even physical way to part with whatever is keeping me stuck there. If it is a physical location that keeps me stuck it would help to move. If it is a person or a relationship that one is trying to move on from. If it was a fight, I find it helps to forgive. If it was a relationship of dependency, it helps to find someone else, or at least other outlets. If it is guilt, I recommend seeking out forgiveness in prayer. If it is trauma, it may help to tell someone you trust and then try to build a new life in a new direction.

Our past is a part of us, and who we are. It’s okay to have a lot of feelings about your past. Instead of thinking of letting go of it, think of learning to accept you past and see what you’ve learned and how you have grown. Some pasts may hurt, or make us feel ashamed, or any array of emotions. It’s okay to feel those so long as you allow yourself to move through it and grow from it. From our pasts we can heal, forgive, and accept. I believe that in that thinking, your past becomes just that and not something that holds weight over your present or future.