Something everyone around the world has in common is, we all have a past. This can include positive and negative situations. Of course, we all enjoy remembering the positive things that happen and never want to forget those memories. Unfortunately, life is not perfect, and we encounter negative experiences during our lifetime. Although our first reaction to negative situations is to try forgetting them because they were traumatic and caused emotional pain and anxiety. There are better and more effective ways to handle those negative situations.

Instead of trying to ignore and forget about the past, it might be better and longer lasting to confront the past head-on. Confronting the past involved a conscious, dedicated choice to approach past emotional pain and begin to process them. When we continue trying to avoid the past, it is only going to circle back around. This will continuously force us to remember the pain over and over again, which is a vicious negative cycle.

There are numerous ways to confront the past and I am going to share some steps that I hope will help you. I do understand that you may have other ways that have helped you, which is great. Everyone deals with emotional pain and stress differently, so I would encourage you to share what has helped you face these issues.

One: Acceptance:

Accepting the traumatic events that were experienced is the first step and can be the most challenging step towards recovery. It depends on the severity of the trauma, but it may require professional help to overcome it and move forward. Mental health is critical to take care of before it escalates, so seeking guidance from a professional should not be viewed as a weakness and no one should feel shame from this.

Two: Consider the effects:

Any hurt we experience is going to include a reaction. We will gain additional wisdom that we must value. We should always try using what was learned from our painful experiences to have a better reaction when faced with future pain. Everything experienced in life is meant to help us deal with similar situations that we may encounter, and they are all learning opportunities. These opportunities are a gift to help us handle complicated situations we may endure and should not be viewed as a punishment, but more as a benefit.

Three: Distance:

We have all heard that sometimes it is necessary to distance ourselves from negative situations or toxic people in our life. It has been suggested by psychologists, that distance from a situation or the individual causing us to feel upset or stressed can help with letting go because we are not around the individual or situation and not forced to think about whatever is causing us to be upset. Often, we need space and time to process things on our terms.

Four: Allow yourself time to let the negative feeling flow:

We may try to avoid negative feelings out of fear but understand this is normal. Many people are in fear of feeling such as anger, grief, sadness, and disappointment, but these are common and natural feelings to experience once you have been hurt. It is okay to take time alone to let your tears flow or scream your frustration and anger out when no one is around. This release may severe you well and you are one step closer to recovery. If you do not want to scream or cry your feelings out, you can try writing a letter that you do not plan to send to whatever has you upset.

Five: Accept you may never get an apology:

Waiting for another person to accept responsibility for hurting you and apologizing can be a wasted energy. If you wait for an apology, it will only slow the progress of letting go down. It is not easy to understand why people are so unwilling to accept responsibility for the wrongs they do, but unfortunately, it is the way things are and we deserve the chance to let go so we can be happy!

We have almost made it to the end of the week, and I know we are all looking forward to the weekend. I know I have talked about this before, but PLEASE if you have not already been vaccinated for COVID, PLEASE do so. The vaccine can save lives and we all should be wearing masks when in public places to keep ourselves and others safe from getting COVID. Over the past years, too many have lost their lives and this COULD have been avoided. My mother and her husband, both are vaccinated have recently been diagnosed with COVID. I am thankful they were both vaccinated because that might have saved their lives! Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers! 

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope the information I have shared will be beneficial for you and if you have other advice, I do wish you would share it. Life is challenging and we do not need additional stresses added to our lives because it is not worth it. It is so important that we try to be understanding towards what others might be going through and know there are probably things we do not know about. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa