Freeing yourself from the past can be one of the most rewarding endeavors you choose in your life. The same amount of pain and upset that you feel about an experience is an indicator of the amount of wisdom, freedom, and expansion that awaits you on the other side. This is because, when fully healed, the part of your energy that has been holding pain integrates back into the body giving you more whole capacity to feel and create anew. Doing so requires a willingness to confront and heal emotional wounds, a commitment to becoming the person you want to be, and ongoing practice. Here are five steps you can take to start the process of freeing yourself from the past:

1. Create a vision. Envision the type of person you want to be, and how you’d like to experience yourself and your life. It’s important to take the time to really think about the qualities and characteristics you want to embody, and the type of life you want to lead. This will help you to set clear goals and guide your actions as you move forward. From an emotional mastery perspective, this vision of your future anchors your mind into a position that is in your favor. Without discipline, the mind will either follow your body’s emotional state, and wander to content that is not productive. Having a strong, clear vision directs the mind. This is important for creating momentum in a purposeful direction.

2. Invest in this vision of yourself. One way to do this is to practice “feeling as if” you already are the person you want to be. Set aside a few minutes in the morning and evening to close your eyes and visualize yourself living in this new way, feeling the emotions and experiences that come with it. Biologically speaking, in this practice you are generating yourself from the inside out. Rather than seeking external circumstances that validate your capacity to change, you are choosing to change unconditionally. You are practicing a new emotional state that is of your choosing. The more you invest in feeling this new vision for yourself, the more adept your mind and body will be to naturally embody it.

3. Give attention to your emotional wounds so they can heal. Unresolved emotions from past events can weigh you down and make it difficult to move forward. It’s important to take the time to address these feelings and work through them with compassion and love for yourself. This may involve seeking professional help, such as coaching or therapy, or finding other resources that can support you in the healing process. This part of the journey is important if you notice your thoughts are constantly wandering to the past, if you notice you are ruminating on the same topics over and over, or if you ongoingly mull over conversations you may have with a person or people. The stuck mind is evidence of stuck emotions in the body that deserve a good amount of attention and care to help them release and allow flow to re-open.

4. Generate sustainable expectations for your healing timeline. It’s important to be realistic about how long it may take to heal from past experiences. Consider how long you experienced the discomfort for, and use this as a guide for your healing journey: if you were in discomfort for 5 years, perhaps it will take a year to heal. If you were in pain for a few days, maybe it will take 3 to 5 coaching sessions. Remember that everyone’s timeline is different, and it’s important to be patient and compassionate with yourself as you work through the process. Rather than barrelling through the deep work to get it over with, treat yourself with respect, and build a timeline that allows for healing each part of your experience thoroughly. Also consider that rest time in your process is as important as active healing time. At Mindlight we say “slow is gentle, and gentle is fast.”

5. Learn and practice new skills. Once you’ve made progress in healing your emotional wounds and feel more space to create a new possibility, it’s time to take action to further develop the skills and qualities you want to embody. This might involve taking professional classes or lessons, or watching a series of videos on building a specific skill. The world is rich with resources and classes like learning verbal self defense, or learning how to communicate better in social environments, or how to launch a new business. In this step, you are practicing two things: 1) Increasing your capacity to receive support and guidance, and 2) Taking committed action to more deeply develop and sustain your inner shift. At this point in your journey, you’ll really begin to experience your own limitlessness and creative potential. Everything becomes possible.

By following these steps, you can begin the journey of freeing yourself from the past and becoming the person you want to be. Remember to be patient, compassionate, and persistent as you work through the process, and you’ll be well on your way to a brighter, more fulfilling future. Imagine orienting to the world as if it is all for you. The rest of your life is treasure hunting. You can experience more and more of what you’ve always wanted.

Do you want professional support in creating a new future? Book a session with a Mindlight practitioner today. Or email us at info@themindlight.com with your questions.