How to Let Go of the Past

Past and future thoughts are the most dominate thoughts in our minds. To worry about the future is one thing, but to dwell on the past is quite another story. Do we dwell in the past because we're afraid of what the future might bring? Or is there an unresolved issue in the past we're unable to let go of? It could be that we're just afraid of losing control.

It's always nice to walk down memory lane reliving the good times from the past. Some people even believe the best is over and the worst is yet to come. Usually these people spend their time constantly thinking about what used to be. I'm sure most of us would like to re-live some of our childhood memories over, but some of us just can't release the past.

The Mind

Hundreds of thoughts enter our minds each day, but the thoughts which use up most of our mental powers are thoughts of failure. Our problem solving minds go to work fixing and solving whatever situation we throw at it, whether it's too late or not. Our third dimensional mind is a super computer which we "somewhat" control, yet sometimes our mental abilities are altered by the dreaded ego.

The ego controls our sense of self such as: who we think we are, what we think we can achieve, or anything which deems to be a threat: mental, or physical. When this sense of self is altered by a mishap or a mistake the ego automatically kicks in to rectify the situation.

Sense of Reality

Most of the time the ego is not noticed as we unconsciously start thinking about or replaying over a past situation; this is where the rub begins. Unsettled situations can usually never be filed away (in the mind) until we can accept the outcome of the situation.

Our sense of failure has permanently been logged into our minds; and the ego never fails to remind us of this. Whether we screwed up is not the problem. The key is to accept the situation (past or present) as an outcome, and not as a negative reflection on ourselves.

Most destructive emotions are fear based emotions. Fear is an emotion which is also ruled by an over active ego. The Toltecs referred to the ego as "the voice of the judge that leads us into the dream of Hell." This "Hell" they were referring to could quite possibly be the Hell of the mind.

Those who constantly dwell on the past are threatened by a separation from the past. The past has left them before they were ready to let go of it, and now it's out of their control. Control is another ploy of the ego.

Why must we always be in control? This is the same situation with those who dwell on the thoughts of death, which is another situation where we have no control.

Emotional Release

It's fine and dandy to think about the good times from the past, but we have to keep in mind that the past is out of our control. Reliving a bad situation over and over (from the past) does nothing but ruin the present moment in time. Soon you'll be reliving over this moment in time. Sometimes this cycle never ends.

Acceptance is the key to letting go of our failures or mistakes in the past. Non-judgment of ourselves is another biggie when living with an over active ego. Don't let your ego tell you that you're a failure by the mistakes you've made in the past!

The mind is a wonderful tool, so why not use it to help your emotional outlook, and not destroy it. When a bad memory from the past enters the mind, ask yourself what you can do to change this thought. If you're left alone in your thoughts trying to figure it all out, then throw out these useless thoughts.

If you have trouble stopping these destructive emotions, give your mind some new creative ways of thought. After a while your mind will get use to these new thought patterns, and your new way of thinking. Persistence is a must when dealing with the mind. Regaining control over your mind will take some time, so try to be patient.

Be mentally conscious of your thoughts, and learn to control which thoughts invades your mind. Although we can never rid ourselves completely of the ego, we can at least help to slow it down to be a more productive part of the mind. Your emotional outlook hangs in the balance. So be smart and live in the moment, not in the past.