7 Ways to Let Go of the Past for Good Right Now!

from our Angel Messenger Creative Team

Everyone experiences pain and loss. And even though these experiences happen in the past, we tend to carry them around with us for weeks, months and even years. This can make emotional pain feel like a fixed part of your life. But you can let it go. In fact, letting go of the past makes it possible for you to finally experience love and happiness in the present moment. These seven tips will support you in letting go.

Why it’s so important to let go of the past and emotional pain

In the words of Deepak Chopra,

“Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything in the physical universe is by letting go of it. Let go and it will be yours forever.”

When we hold onto negative experiences, it constricts us and closes us off to love and new experiences. And even though it’s painful to hold onto emotional pain, we do it anyway because it seems scary to let go of bad memories and old hurts.

Why it’s hard to let go of the past

The past is your own personal version of reality. And for better or for worse, these bad memories and painful experiences have come to define you. But the truth is, your past doesn’t really define who you truly are.

Instead, this emotional baggage feeds your ego and keeps it alive. In fact, your ego makes you believe that you need this pain to survive. Fear, anger, pride, and distrust can even feel like they’re all there to rescue you.

But this is the big lie of the ego.

And Chopra explains that whenever you feel the strongest urge to not let go of something, that’s exactly when you need to let things go. Because the tighter you hold on to these negative feelings, the more limited your reality is, and the more constricted you are.

In short, whatever strengthens your ego and helps it flourish prevents you from growing and experiencing happiness and love.

But the following seven steps can help you release the past.

7 steps to let go of the past

Deepak Chopra offers a simple 7-step process to let go of the past. And while it’s a simple process, letting go can still be challenging. So, be compassionate with yourself as you take these very brave steps.

1. Remember an emotional experience

The first step is to become aware of an emotional experience. If it happened recently, this may be easy to do. But if you’ve carried pain with you for a while, it may take time to uncover the emotional experience. But becoming aware makes the next six steps possible.

2. Observe your body

Once you remember the emotional experience, close your eyes and observe your body. How does it feel? It’s likely that certain areas of your body will feel tight, stiff or uncomfortable. Wherever and however the pain shows up in your body, sit with it, and breath deeply and mindfully.

3. Give your emotion a name

Emotion isn’t bad. It’s a messenger. So ask yourself what it’s trying to say to you. But in order to know that, you first have to name it.

So, instead of being vague about naming your emotion, be as specific as possible. For example, do you feel angry? Anger can mask fear. Do you feel fear? Fear masks hurt.

Therefore, naming your emotion can help you dig deeper and understand what the purpose and message of the emotion is.

4. Express the experience

You’ve remembered the emotion, experienced it in your physical body and named it. Now, it’s time to express it in writing. Take time to write out exactly what happened during this emotional experience, and be as specific as possible, detailing what others said or did, and how that made you feel.

If you want, try to write the experience from the other person’s perspective, as well as from an objective, 3rd person perspective. By expressing the experience in three different ways, you help to draw it out of your body. And by exposing it, you help to disempower and weaken it.

5. Share the emotional experience

If possible, share your writings with a trusted friend, or even with a therapist if you’re working with one. This can further help you release and let go. By exposing the emotional baggage and shining a light on it, you remove its grip on you.

6. Use a ritual to release emotional pain

Remember all those pages you wrote when you expressed your emotional experience? Now, it’s time to release them with a ritual. You can either burn, bury or tear them up. You can also release them as part of a New Moon ritual to really kickstart the healing process.

7. Celebrate your newly-found freedom

Letting go of the past is a huge step toward love and happiness, so celebrate the important work you’ve just done. Instead of being constricted to the past, you’re now open to all of the generous opportunities the present moment has to offer you.

So, take time to bask in this wonderful release and be proud of what you’ve done. You have the power to let go of the past and to feel good again.

 Much Love & Angel Blessings,

Angel Messenger