Releasing the Past and Moving Forward with Your Life

We cannot live our lives to the full unless we learn the ways to let go of the failures we have made and the disappointments we've encountered and taking them into our future.

Past pain, bitterness, and disappointments are heavy to bear and can drastically influence our mood, attitude, relationships, job, etc. Your self-esteem is corroded by negativity and you will never really have a life that is free from it.

However there is something to look forward to. Your future does not have to be a repeat of your past. You do not have to be destined to endless pain no matter what you may already have been through. You have the option of laying your burdens down because it is okay for you to be free. Actually, truth be told, you deserve to be.

The following five steps will assist you in moving forward and obtaining the freedom that you need in order for you to enjoy a life that is fuller and more rewarding irrespective of what your past was:

1. Talk it out! You need to talk about the pain of the past, the fear, the disappointments, the traumas that you endured. You should do so with someone that you trust. Allow yourself to express the associated feelings even if it means crying, screaming, etc. In this way you will release the emotions that you have kept bottled up in a safe way.

If you don't address the feelings connected with your past experiences you will probably not be able to progress past them. When you have spoken the words you need to speak release them from your mind forever. It may sound difficult but it really is the one way you can rid yourself of your past.

2. Keep a journal. This is a great way to really let your pain out because journals offer a level of safety. You know that what you write is only for you and nobody else will know about it. Forget about things like spelling, grammar, etc. You simply need to focus on writing from your heart.

When you actually sit down and write out your thoughts and feelings it helps in releasing the emotions you feel and this allows you the chance to move past them.

3. Seek forgiveness. Few people really understand the meaning of forgiveness. It does not mean that you are saying that your experiences are not important or that whatever has occurred in your past is alright. It really doesn't have anything to do with the other person or persons at all.

In actual fact, forgiveness is a choice you make to release the need for revenge and punishment. It means closure within yourself.

When you forgive you no longer have to bear the burden of pain and you can cease to dwell on the past so that it has no power over your future.

4. Professional guidance. Life coaches and therapists are there for a reason. You can make the choice to seek help from such people.

Sometimes those that are nearest and dearest to us are not the right people to help us to work through our pain. Sometimes we find it difficult to open up about our deepest pains and for the listener it can be difficult to step back enough to be able to help us through it.

When we seek the help of a professional however, we have the safety of relative anonymity that makes it a lot easier to share our problems. A life coach or counsellor is there to assist us in finding a new perspective that can help us to move on with our lives.

5. Alternative therapies. Today there are lots of different techniques you can learn about and use to help you in altering your mind-set or attitude. This can really benefit you in leaving the past in the past.

EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is an alternative therapy that makes use of the principles of acupuncture but without the use of needles. It enables you to lay charge of your feelings. EFT is done by simply tapping the fingertips on the meridian points situated in the upper part of the body.

The tapping sequence coupled with verbally expressing your feelings will help to break down the blockage of energy that results from negative feelings and so helps you to release them.

It simply is not necessary for you to hold onto past negativity. It does not matter what your history is because you can learn how to let go of it and move on with your life, a life with contentment and joy. Choose a method that is most suitable for you and do not delay in starting to release your past as you journey into the life you actually deserve.