Are you feeling like your life is stuck in the past, but you’re not sure how to break free from the rut that you find yourself in? There are many reasons that people can become stuck in the past, and experience feelings of inertia in their lives. From past traumatic experiences, bereavements, relationship breakdowns, or even a fear of the future; all of these factors can lead to people becoming trapped in the past, stuck in their comfort zone, and unable to plan their future.
Breaking free from the past can be a truly liberating experience. Allowing yourself the freedom to move your life forward towards the future that you dream of is all that is needed to break out of the rut that you find yourself in.
Gain Some Closure
The words ‘finding closure’ are bandied around frequently to the point of becoming a cliché. However, closure shouldn’t simply be dismissed as merely a psycho-babble phrase. Despite being overused, finding closure is a powerful way to move your life forwards.
There are many ways to find closure so you will need to do what is best for your particular situation. For some, seeking acknowledgement of what they have been through is a form of closure. This is the case for victims in church abuse cases or those that have been injured through a negligent employer etc. Whatever your circumstances may be, finding some degree of closure could help you to move forward and could be as simple as opening up about how you are feeling and talking it through.
Speak to a Therapist
Therapy is an excellent way to work towards finding closure and working through the feelings that are keeping you stuck in the past. Finding a therapist that can help you to untangle your feelings and make some sense of them can be a huge relief. The act of talking to someone removed from your situation can feel like an immense release from the past, and leave you feeling lighter after unburdening yourself. Making the connections between the past and how you are feeling right now is liberating, and can help to bring you some inner peace.
Dare to Dream
If you have been feeling trapped in the past for a long time, you may have put your dreams for the future out of your mind. Allow yourself to dream about what you want for the future. Think about your hopes for how life in the future may look and then you can begin to make them a reality. Think about how you could start to work towards creating the life that you want. Working towards creating the life of your dreams is something that your therapist should be able to work on with you as part of your course of treatment sessions.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to move forward too quickly. Instead, take small steps at your own pace towards liberating yourself from the past, and working towards your dreams for the future.
Image by Denise Husted from Pixabay
