Holding onto the Past
Recently I have been thinking a lot about things that I am holding onto, things that have happened in the past that for some reason I can’t seem to shrug off. Those events from our past can sometimes have an impact on the person we are today and can sometimes give us a distorted image of who we truly are. So why do we hold onto such things? Why is it that we feel these things need to stay part of our personality?
Over the weekend I participated in a workshop that made me realise that there is no reason for me to be holding onto these things that can send me in a downward spiral. Yes, there are certain parts of me that want to keep holding onto them so I can continue to learn from them, but what is this doing for me? Will I gain anything from holding onto parts of the past that bring me negative emotions and memories that I don’t necessarily want to relive. One thing that the workshop taught me was that these events don’t need to be carried with me into a new year if I don’t want them to. I can acknowledge them and simply let them go. Now I know what you’re saying, is it really that easy to simply just let go of things that are holding you back? The answer? Well it’s yes and no. The easy part is letting go, the challenging part is finding out what you need to let go of.
Each year we strive to become the best version of ourselves that we can, but sometimes we feel like there is something holding us back. Something that is stopping us from becoming this empowered true version of the self. Certain events from our past and also our upbringing can be that mental blocker without us realising, and in the long run it can provide us with a subconscious thought on why we can’t be a certain way. From personal experience, this can include comparing yourself to who you used to be, saying to yourself “why can’t I just be like who I was 10 years ago” or “I was so much better then”. I for one can be guilty of doing this a lot, comparing myself to a past version of me just because it’s not who I am now. The reality is that this comparison has been holding me back from being who I truly am and allowing myself to manifest into the best current version of myself.
There is a quote from the Disney film Frozen that I feel really sums this up well. When Elsa has run away from Arendelle because they have found out who she truly is, she sings to herself “I’m never going back, the past is in the past”. For me this really sums up well just what the workshop made me feel. There is no need for me to hold onto something that happened in the past because I can’t go back and change it. I can’t control things that have already happened. We can however control what is happening in the here and now. To reach this empowered version of ourselves we need to begin to step outside our comfort zone. By stepping out of that safe space we allow our bodies and mind to become open to infinite potential.
Having since let go of certain elements of my past, I have felt like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that the path forward is now a little bit clearer. A little bit less foggy and that the road to becoming the truest version of myself has been made that little bit easier. So much so that I am still feeling empowered and motivated from that workshop. I feel like this is truly going to be the beginning of the rest of my life and that I can now focus on doing things for me. So this year, spend time looking inside, spend time focusing on you and start to let go of things that are holding you back.
Breathe in for four, and breathe out for four. Repeat this process and say to yourself these three words “I AM ENOUGH”. Incorporate this practice into your day to day life and start to feel a bit more you. Start to embrace the parts of you that you wanted to hide and allow yourself to be your true self.