While the present can plague our minds when we have a lot on our plate, the past can take a hole of our mental facilities when it comes to dealing with people around us.

Additionally, it is safe to say that we all have had bad things happen to us in the past that we wish we could forget.

Life can sometimes leave the emotional body with scars, and then it’s up to us to heal them in the best way we can. Letting go of the past is important because when you can’t let go of the past, it can dictate how you react to things in the future.

Recognize Why Letting Go is Important

Say you were hurt by a friend in the past, and you feel as though they left an emotional mark on you. Because of what happened you don't feel as though you can trust anyone now. This general sense of distrust, while you believe it is protecting you from getting hurt again, is actually limiting your ability to form positive relationships with the people around you.

You continuously go back to the situation, and you can’t let go. In turn, this creates emotionally-driven mental clutter that dictates how you live your life.

This is why letting go of the past is so important and recognizing his fact is the first step when you are looking to let go of negativity from the past. In this way, you can start to think about being able to let go of the past as a positive thing for yourself. To this end, thinking about some of the following aspects should be able to help you deal with any issues about your past.

Releases You of a Burden

Carrying around the weight of something in that past that has hurt you can be incredibly tiring emotionally. By forgiving these circumstances and letting go of the hurt caused by the situations, allows you to be able to strengthen your own psyche.

Releases You of Resentment

It is crucial that you understand that when you choose to let go of a hurtful past situation, it doesn’t mean that you have to mend the relationship with the person that hurt you. Instead, you need to focus on letting go of your sadness, anger, and pain. This will help you to become a better version of yourself, without having to focus on the other person.

Brings You More Understanding

Many people who cause others pain often are hurting themselves. If you can recognize this fact and find it in your heart to be a bit more compassionate to others who hurt you, it might end up being easier for you to let the past go.

Requires You Forgiving Yourself

When you hold onto the past, there's a chance that you also blame yourself for the circumstances that occurred. Similar to finding compassion for the people who hurt you, it is also essential to find compassion for yourself. Relationships are complex, and it is entirely possible that you could be the victim, as well as having some responsibility in the matter.

Stop Playing the Victim

We all know someone that has hurt us in the past, and that was their decision, their choice. Similarly, you are choosing to dwell on it, and that’s your choice. To learn how to let go of the past, you have to recognize that you are making yourself the victim.

Playing the victim is a sign of weakness and allows the person who caused you pain to have control over you in some manner. Instead of continuing to play the victim, remind yourself that you are in the driver’s seat and don’t let your brain dwell on the negative thoughts of the past.

Exercise Your Mind with Positive Affirmations

Once you've realized that you are in control and are starting to refocus your mind on the present, you need to work on your self- esteem if you want to let go of the past finally. When you dwell on an adverse event from the past often enough, it is likely that your self-confidence has been negatively influenced.

To counteract this by-product of holding onto the past, you need to repeat positive affirmations regularly. Doing this will help to train your mind to see yourself as being worthy of success.

Say What You Feel

When you bottle up your emotions, the problems from the past that are making you angry and upset, won't simply disappear into thin air, but instead, they stay inside our brains taking up valuable mental space. This results in us creating scenarios in our heads because we never expressed our displeasure with the person that caused us harm in the past. Since we don't know what the outcome of the situation would have been if we simply stated our feeling at the moment, our mind starts to race with 'what if' scenarios.

To get out of this habit of playing the 'what if' game, you have to force yourself to become more open about what exactly you're feeling when you're feeling it. Not only will this help you relieve your mind of anxious thoughts, but it will also allow you to be less resentful of the situations.

Look to the Past for Positivity

Finally, if you want to let go of the past, then you have to reorient your relationship with it. Rather than looking at the past and seeing the negative things that have to lead you to your current situations, instead look to the past and find the good things that have come from it as well.

Remind yourself of the good times that you had in the past and everything that it has brought with it and allow your mind to clear out the negative aspect of your past.

Letting go of the past is the only way that you will ever be able to move forward and gain more mental clarity. Holding onto the wrongs that have been done to us and the mistakes that we’ve made on our journey will only keep us from realizing our full potential and gaining the mental clarity we need to succeed.