[ryuken]

I am sure you have heard that " you have to let go of past" many times from people around you and the doctors. But it is quite hard to do that. Especially if you're doing the same things everyday and finding it hard to change the life.

I have issues with the past too. I think I suffer the most in this type of problem. For example, I have done with my graduation studies in 2007 and still yet my mind shows me dreams that keeps in the environment of that. It is like some stressed trauma.

For example, I get dreams about some of the classmates in that time, trying to attend some exams and getting stressed and talking about it. When I wake up it's like hey 5 years back why the hell I am thinking about. I also once dreamed about my low grade in one paper and was dreaming about resiting for that exam. It was painful after waking up. I don't know maybe I need to take job and problems much better than academic life to get over it so that mind will churn over bigger set of things.

It feels like being trapped in time where things are repeating and you're just doing things differently in that time and it ends up waking you after dream. It is horrible somehow.

This is sort of emotional problem I guess I don't know whether to put it under emotions or dreams.

How do you let go of the past? What you do differently to make sure that happens?

[jadzea]

I finished my graduate studies in 1977. I still sometimes dream I registered for a class and forgot to go all semester and now I have to take the final. Or, I dream I registered for the class and did not go the whole semester and now it was time to graduate and I do not have enough credits. I don't see it as living in the past. I see it as my mind focusing on something and turning it into a dream I can relate to. My life has moved forward and continues to do so.

[Leed]

If your past is causing emotional problems, i.e. depression, anxiety, etc., it is best to see a therapist and let him help you learn how to let go of the past. I had ALOT of issues dealing with my past and it did cause plenty of emotional/mental issues so I HAD to see a therapist -- I saw off and on for many years, and it did me a world of good. I was able to let go of many many things that were causing problems and put them to rest. I no longer have those problems, and if they SHOULD happen to rise up and bother me again, I know how to deal with them.

Have your doctor refer you to a good therapist -- your doc will know who is good and who isn't so good.

I wish you the very best. Please keep us posted, and keep visiting us here too. God bless and please take care!! Hugs, Lee

[Miswimmy1]

i personally don't think you can "let it go". you can accept it, or put it out of mind for a time, but i dont think you can ever really let it go compeltely. the past is part of you, and it why you are who are you, and i dont think you can change that. i think you can find a t, deal with issues, develop coping mechanisms, but i dont think "letting it go" is physically possible. you can choose not to care any more, but it is always part of you and i dont think its possible to forget.

Originally Posted by Miswimmy1

i personally don't think you can "let it go". you can accept it, or put it out of mind for a time, but i dont think you can ever really let it go compeltely.

...This. The past is the past it simply cannot be changed. I think talking to a therapist about accepting these troubling thoughts and working on how to move on from them would be highly beneficial. I find time helps a lot too but if you're this affected by things that happened over 5 years ago looking into professional help couldn't hurt...all the best.

[jeneveve]

I was stuck in the past for 7 years. My failures, being a victim, feeling sorry for myself, bad things happened so they would happen again, keeping secrets, hiding from the world. I felt guilt, fear, depression, anxiety, shame, anger, and ultimately hated myself and my life.

I had to become honest with myself. I wasn't always a victim; I had contributed to the things that happened. I wasn't the only one hurt; I had hurt others as well. That was really hard to accept. Being pitiful, only made people dislike being around me. Guilt and shame were useless because I couldn't change the past. I could only make it worse by hating myself. Anxiety and fear were kept me isolated.

I don't know if it was that enough time passed for me to move on. Or maybe I learned after sharing the worst things about myself with others that I wasn't the only one that was flawed. I began to realize that it all wasn't as horrible as I allowed it to be in my mind.

It just takes time, proper treatment and meds. Hopefully after that, the past can be put into the proper perspective. I still have times when the past rears its ugly head. When that happens and it involves family or friends that knew me at that time, I talk about it, sometimes apologizing for my behavior or letting them know how much better I am now. Most people are happy about that. I am rebuilding relationships I thought I had lost and gaining acceptance from others. It has also helped me to accept myself. And from bad things that happened or mistakes that I made, I have learned some lessons.

I won't ever be fully able to accept my past. I just don't want to keep living in it.