How Can I Make Peace with My Past?

ARE you letting excess baggage from the past weigh you down? Are you holding onto grudges, rehashing past trauma, or thinking about what "should" have been? Ponder how these thoughts are pulling you down and making it harder to take steps forward in life. The first step is to recognize those heavy thoughts for what they are: Needless emotional suffering. When we indulge in these types thoughts, we work ourselves up into negative emotions. This is unnecessary. The past is over. There may have been suffering in the past, but it is over now. Truly, it's time to let it go. It's your choice: Either begin to make peace with your past, or continue suffering in the present.
How can you make peace with your past? Making peace with your past is an important step in achieving peace of mind and happiness. The first step is to stop rehashing the stories that cause you suffering. By repeating these stories, you reinforce the negative emotions. The next step is to eliminate the habit of focusing on past emotional baggage. This is accomplished by becoming aware of when you are thinking about such issues, then, immediately jumping off that train of thought. One of the easiest techniques for jumping off negative trains of thought is to bring your awareness back to the present moment by focusing on your five senses. Get outside of your head and become fully present. Pay attention to life as it is happening, instead of living life in your head thinking about the past. The more you practice, the less the thoughts will come, and the easier it will be to let go of your past pain.
Be gentle with yourself as you practice moving into a more present and happy state of being.
Be happy, my Friends-
Laura Barrette Shannon