Releasing the Past

Do you have times when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, angry or sad in the present due to the past? I certainly have, so let me share two ways that have worked for me to clear myself, move on and enjoy my life again.

The first is is simply to allow your emotional expression. Our culture is one that typically asks us to shut down what we feel. Sometimes our self-talk looks like this: "I should be over this by now." "I'm a nice person, how can I feel so angry?" "Others would judge what I'm feeling." "Its not ok to feel this." This self-denial only serves to fuel those feelings to become stronger so that they can be heard. So rather than push them down, distract ourselves and avoid them, try this simple way of allowing them to have their say:
Take a few moments of quiet time and just sit still
If your feelings are already present, take the position of an observer and just sit and watch them
If you are having trouble feeling anything, notice what your body feels like (i.e. do you detect any physical sensations such as numbness, tenseness, tingling, etc.)
Once you are in touch with your emotions, let them flow through you or grow to be as big as they want to be
Do your very best to just feel them without any judgment
Simply let them run through you whether it is anger, tears, overwhelm or whatever

If there is so much you feel you cannot release them this way, try this as an alternative:
Set aside at least 10 minutes of time alone.
Set an intention to release your feelings simply and gracefully (or however you want it to occur).
Write out your feelings as fast as you can, without care for spelling, readability, or neatness.
Don't think about it; just write as fast as you can giving voice to anything that surfaces.
Remember there is no need for it to make coherent sense. Do not go back and read it again.
When you are done, make sure to burn or shred the paper in a symbolic act to release it.
Then move on as best you can.
Remember that healing is simply finding ways of bringing love to the inside. These small practices are ways to invite love and acceptance in. With that environment, we are able to move through all feelings like a child onto the next one