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I'm stuck in the past. All I can do is think about all my mistakes and what I missed out on. How do I let go?

2 Answers
Last Updated: 03/22/2021 at 7:24pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Alex DS Ellis, MA, LMFT

Marriage & Family Therapist

Feeling depressed or anxious can be so overwhelming. I want to help you feel better and be able to enjoy life. You are not alone and you deserve emotional support.

Top Rated Answers
frankyou
September 4th, 2020 3:40pm
Letting go of the past can be an exceptionally difficult task to take on. I've been working on not holding onto 'what ifs' and 'maybes' for years and, while I've made a lot of progress, I still struggle with moving on. You mentioned how hard it is for you to accept your past mistakes — I promise, you're not alone in that, and it's not necessarily a bad thing to look back at previous missteps and wanting to improve. But be gentle with yourself when you do. You might feel like you need to shut those emotions down completely, but allowing yourself to feel them and better understand them can help tremendously. Take care of yourself when the past gets too heavy and don't be afraid to reach out if it's too much to unpack by yourself. It may be your past, but others can help you build a better future. Remind yourself of what you haven't missed out on even if it's little things. Trust me, they add up. Be patient and kind with yourself and I know you'll make great strides. You've got this. The past can hurt, but there's so much more to life than what's already happened.
enigmaticJet79
March 22nd, 2021 7:24pm
One really good way to let go that I have seen and used a few times is taking something that you can write on, and write down all the things that you feel are mistakes or things that you are worried about and you take it and you tear it apart. Then you take another thing to write on, and you write about all the things you are good at, all the things you can do and things that are to come. Then with that, you can put it somewhere where you can see it every day and even change it when you feel that it can be updated. I hope this helps