As we prepare for the beginning of 2023, many people will begin goal planning for next year. Resolutions are common for this time of year, people make pledges to eat healthier, exercise more, travel more, or launch new professional goals. Whatever plans or goals you have for 2023, I wish you success in achieving those goals. I would like to propose a suggested goal or resolution for 2023, which is to leave past grudges and emotional baggage in 2022. Holding on to the past isn’t good for our mental wellness because it can trigger sadness, anxiety, stress, anger, and other negative emotions. Stress and negative emotional baggage can also impact our physical wellness, as we can experience stomach complaints, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. Holding onto our past can also impact our social wellness, as friends and others close to us may grow tired of hearing about complaints from the past. Focusing on the negative things that happened can impact your ability to focus on your future, because you can be focused on a negative experience with a past romantic partner that impacts your current relationship, or something that happened at a previous employer that is causing your to not fully engage with your current employer.
Letting go of the past can be difficult, depending on the experience. Some experiences may be a part of our lives forever, however, our past should not influence our present and future. Some past experiences, such as trauma should be processed with a therapist, spiritual person, or other qualified professional. Other experiences can be conscious efforts to move on through personal growth, acceptance, and forgiveness. Starting the process of moving on from the past, begins with acknowledging the experience, then processing and honoring your emotions. Your experience, pain and trauma are valid, and no one can tell you that your emotions are not valid. Once you have begun the work with processing and honoring your emotions, work on releasing those emotions in positive ways, distance yourself from the person who caused the harm. You should not feel obligated to continue a relationship with someone that hurt you, your healing should be your priority. Continue to heal from your past, while focusing on creating new memories and continuing with your journey.
Ralph Blum stated that when you let go of your past, you reclaim your power. Through life, I have often heard that when you choose to let go of the pain of your past and move on, you take back your power. When people wrong others, they are not often focused on the harm they caused, whereas the person wronged is experiencing the pain, trauma, and emotions. In a sense, the person who committed the harm continues to have power over the person harmed because they are occupying space in your thoughts. Family trauma and baggage can be difficult to overcome, as it can often take courage to break cycles of trauma and dysfunction. Relationship trauma can be equally as difficult to overcome, especially with patterns of abusive relationships, unhealthy relationships, or the trauma of infidelity. For those, who would like to incorporate spirituality in your healing, I would recommend this faith-based book on healing called Brave Enough to Be Broken by Toni Collier, which incorporates Christianity in healing. The book can be purchased via Amazon at this link https://amzn.to/3GtCK99. For those of you, looking for non-spiritual or religious healing books, I would recommend The Art Of Letting Go by Damon Zahariades which can be purchased on Amazon here https://amzn.to/3hZ3d5b.
Wishing you health and happiness
My Mind, My Body, My Journey™ 