Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. Specifically, it’s resulted in spending much more time at home or by ourselves.
While some have found a lot of benefits to this change in lifestyle, others have experienced an increase in feelings of isolation and loneliness. Quarantining and other stressors related to the Coronavirus have created new concerns surrounding mental health and led to worsening conditions for those already experiencing mental health issues. And coping can be doubly hard during the wintertime.
I know that for a lot of people, the winter months can be brutally long, cold, dark, or depressing. With the pandemic and stay-at-home recommendations, this winter, in particular, might be more challenging than most.
For me, feeling isolated often leads to overthinking and overanalyzing EVERYTHING in my life, especially when it comes to my past. I tend to critique all of my past choices and berate myself for “mistakes” I’ve made.
Can you relate?
Although it’s very common to obsess over the past, it’s unhelpful when we’re trying to move forward in life and it really hurts our mental health.
The good news is that the past is history, and you can rewrite your past in a way that supports the life you want to live. Your past is just a story that you’ve created in your mind which you tell yourself (often repeatedly). Of course, certain events or “facts” may have happened, but human memory is very faulty and subjective. For example, think of an event that a friend recalls very differently than you do – each of you experienced the same thing, but your thoughts and feelings cause you to remember the event differently.
Because the past only exists in our minds, we can use our thoughts for good and tell a story of the past that is actually helpful. The best thing we can do is to think about the past in a way that supports our present and future.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes about letting go of the negative story of your past:
“Your past is just a story. And once you realize this, it has no power over you.” – Chuck Palahniuk
“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” – Brené Brown
“In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.” – Andrea Dykstra
“Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.” – Sophia Loren
“Never be a prisoner of your past, it was a lesson, not a life sentence.” – Unknown
“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.” – Lily Tomlin
“Don’t look back – you’re not going that way.” – Mary Engelbreit
“Failure is just an event. It is not a characteristic. People can’t be failures.” – Judge Victoria Pratt
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly.” – Maya Angelou
“We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes. You are not your struggles. And you are here now with the power to shape your day and your future.” – Steve Maraboli
“Forgive yourself for not having the foresight to know what now seems so obvious in hindsight.” – Judy Belmont
“The best revenge is no revenge. Move on. Be happy.” – Unknown
“Yesterday is heavy, put it down.” – Unknown
“Growth means choosing happiness over history, and never looking back.” – Unknown
“Never regret something that once made you smile.” – Amber Deckers
