I sat down to write this morning, somehow ending up scrolling through Facebook (procrastinate much?), and came across this quote.
Guilt, regret, resentment, sadness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past and not enough presence.
Eckhardt Tolle
It struck a chord with me, and I recalled earlier in the week reading this dharma talk with a similar theme, What are you carrying?
Do not linger on the past.
Ajahn Brahm
Do not keep carrying around coffins
full of dead moments. If you do,
you weigh yourself down with
heavy burdens that do not really
belong to you. When you let go
of the past, you will be free
in the present moment.
It seemed the Universe was trying to tell me something…and voilá, I had my inspiration for a blog post.
What are you carrying from your past—something you did or something that happened to you? Why are you still carrying it? Is it because you didn’t realize you were carrying it…or you don’t know how to put it down…or perhaps you feel it is your responsibility to continue carrying it?
Remember, you cannot change or fix the past. Of course, you can learn from it, but many of us fixate on something long after the learning opportunity has passed.
These “coffins” we are carrying come in all different sizes, from the massive (like an abusive relationship or death of a loved one) to the seemingly small things (like that rude comment you received or the embarrassing thing you did) that cumulatively become a heavy burden.
Or maybe you’re holding onto a sugar-coated version of the past, longing for the good ole days (pre-COVID maybe?). Time travel is not possible, and clinging to something that has passed serves no practical purpose beyond causing us to miss the joys available in the present.
Assuming we are ready to lay down our coffins full of dead moments, how do we get started? As with everything else, recognition and acknowledgement are the first steps. Sensei Christoper “Kakuyo” Leibow recommends this exercise:
I want you to observe your mind and observe how many times your mind travels from the past to the future – you can just quickly label it Past – Future. It will astound you how much time you spend in general going back and forth, but I also want you to observe when you get stuck in one or the other – one way you can tell is when you start spending a lot of time in the past you may start to feel down, depressed, lose energy or feel anxious about the present moment or the future.
Christopher “Kakuyo” Leibow
Just labeling your thought process can go a long way toward pulling yourself back to the present. If you need a little something more, I find it helpful to ask myself, “Where are my feet right now?” Allow your feet to literally ground you in the present. Label any physical sensations you are feeling in this moment…the temperature, the feeling of your clothing against your skin, hunger, an itch…whatever is there. Or you can try naming and describing five things you see right now, focus on your breathing for five deep breaths, or anything else that pulls you physically and mentally back into the present.
Beyond those quick exercises, the other thing that works well for me is a hard physical workout or spending time in nature. Ideally, I combine the two by going for a hike that challenges me just enough that I, of necessity, need to focus on my surroundings and what I am physically doing.
Those are a few of my mindfulness tips. I’d love to hear yours.
I’ll leave you with a quote that you’ve probably heard before, but bears repeating.
“The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment”
Buddha
Your turn
- Share five things you can see right now.
- What tricks do you have for bringing yourself back to the present moment?
- If you are a blogger, where do you find your post inspiration? Does procrastination ever pay off for you?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love hearing from you.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin.
Christie is an author and professional communicator who blogs about life transitions, wellness, mindfulness, and anything else that answers the question “So what? Now what?”
Hi Christie – this was great advice because I know (from experience) how easy it is to let stuff from the past leach into the present and take away some of the joy. When I see it happening I tend to pull myself up and refuse to go back over old ground or dwell on things that have gone and are beyond change.
As far as inspiration for blog posts go – a great quote will often get me thinking and expanding it into how it affects me, or an article I read somewhere, or a book with some thought provoking passages, or a random comment in a conversation – it’s endless, but I just love having somewhere to put my thoughts down and make sense of them – one of the many joys of blogging xx
Hello Leanne. It’s easy to let the past creep in, and it’s great when you are aware enough to see it happening. That’s obviously key to turning your attention back to the present. I find blogging inspiration in many of the same places that you do. Often an idea is triggered by something I read or hear that I want to share with others or explore further. Enjoy your week! Happy blogging!
I can’t seem to get past something that happened a year ago. I keep picturing that moment in my head. I hate how I let that still affect me. I don’t want it to but I can’t seem to toss it aside and completely move on.
In terms of blog inspiration, I find things pop into my head as I’m walking outside. So much time to think. Other topics are based on what I’m doing. Ideas never seem to be a problem but I don’t know if they’re all good ones!!
I am so sorry to hear that you are struggling with something from your past, Linda. I’m sending love and support your way and hope you soon find a way to lay that burden down. Walking provides inspiration for so many things, doesn’t it? If that’s where you’re getting your blogging ideas, keep on walking, because it’s working. I very much enjoy your writing. Take care.
Lately my shoulders ache from carrying those coffins dug up from the past. I have been thinking about having discussions with the people affected by the issues I am dwelling on in order to hopefully bury them again for good. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to talk, to drudge it all up. I just want it to all go away. In my mind, I see the coffins in the New Orleans area that floated about after Hurricane Katrina. My coffins keep coming unearthed. And I can’t ignore them. Thank you for a thoughtful post with ways to at least temporarily put my mind to rest.
Oh Leslie, what a beautiful, poignant way to describe your ghosts from the past. I hope you find the relief you are looking for. I am sending heaps of love your way.
Your posts are always so positive but life is not always so. There’s just some things in the past that we can never be released from.
It is true that the past has shaped us and brought us to where we are in this moment. In that sense, we are never released from it. Life is not always positive. Life is tragic. Life is beautiful. I wish you peace and much love in this present moment.
Christie, great quotes in this post… and very relatable. I’ve had a number of nudges lately about recognizing and letting go of the past… I’m trying to work out exactly how to do that. It’s not as if my mind goes to the past so much; it’s more I react based on the past experiences. The idea of “carrying around coffins of dead moments” is very compelling to me…. I might need to steal that quote and think more on it.
Good point, Pat. Our past shows up in different ways; often we are not conscious of it. That quote is very vivid, isn’t it? Please “steal” it an put it to good use. 😊 I hope you have a lovely, present day.
Hi, Christie – You are absolutely right! Focussing too much on our past prevents us from fully experiencing the present (as well as our presence). Thank you for sharing this. It is a very important reminder.
Hello Donna. You’ve been lucky to spend a lot of time in nature recently. I find that helps me stay present. I’ve missed it this week. First we had record-breaking hot temperatures and then dangerously high winds. It’s calming down now, so I hope to get back out there. Take care of yourself and have fun!
It’s not easy to let go of the past Christie, but I think I’ve got it covered now. Your tips are really great. My way of coping is exactly the same as yours. To go out hiking or get into the gym for an intense workout.
So many people get stuck in the past. I’m happy to hear that you’ve found your way free. A good workout almost always lifts my spirits and clears my head.
Thanks Christie, your words are always positive and real.
Thank you Deb. I hope you are “jumping” this week…in a good way!
I experienced traumatic moments in childhood and with counselling and self-help programs I am grateful I have been able to let that stuff go. Some people choose to work on resolving this issue with friends, family, therapy, twelve step programs, or clergy. Some don’t. It’s a choice. Thanks for sharing this self- empowering post. Good work. now following you on Pinterest.
Hello Nancy. I’m glad that you were able to let the past go. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it. Thanks for following on Pinterest. I love connecting with the blogging community.