Making peace with the past

Making peace with the past can be such a difficult concept for some people. Especially if we have be grieved or victimized in some way. We often define ourselves by our experiences, our relationships, our significant others even when it’s uncomfortable to us. For example people who have suffered abuse often refer to themselves as victims, survivors or witnesses.

I once heard someone say that holding onto bitterness and grudges was like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets ill, and that holding onto the past was like tying a ships anchor to your ankle before running a marathon. That doesn’t mean we forget or indeed even forgive but it does mean we learn to grow and thrive in spite of our experiences.

To be able to make peace with the past and to move on it can be helpful to begin to accept all your past defeats as well as you victories, all your past mistakes as well as your triumphs, your bad ideas as well as your great ones

The past is gone. It can only influence the present, it certainly doesn’t have to dictate the future.  As you look around sometimes the healthiest option you have is to live now.

Counselling can help you to make sense of your experiences, recognize how they have influenced and shaped you and if need be, learn to let go of self defeating beliefs and become the person you want to be.

#psychotherapy

Tags: anxiety, bereavement, counselling