Are you ready to release the past and move forward with your life? You can do it! The first step is to focus on how good your life is already. We all carry negativity from the past around with us, but we don’t have to let that stop us from living our best lives.
This blog post has 25 affirmations that will help you work through whatever negative thoughts or feelings you might be having about yourself or others, so read them carefully and see what resonates for you.
25 Affirmations to Release the Past
Letting go of the past is primarily about forgiving yourself, others, and external situations in your life. For some reason or another, you have carried one or more situations with you over the years and are experiencing the past as a present moment.
When we free the present moment from the past, it becomes a gateway to joy, happiness, and infinite possibilities. Suddenly there is room to choose how you will live your life at this moment.
Here are our favorite affirmations for releasing the past so that you can savor the present moment:
1. I release my past.
2. I forgive myself.
3. I forgive others.
4. I am a better person because of my past.
5. I proudly accept that I sometimes make mistakes.
6. I am making space for my exciting future.
7. I am free to move forward towards my dreams.
8. I am thankful for my past.
9. I live my life in the present moment.
10. There is no such thing as the past or future. Only now.
11. I am a compassionate person.
12. I love myself just as I am right now.
13. Every moment is a new beginning.
14. My past doesn’t define me.
15. I am focused on creating my best life.
16. I embrace change and new experiences with open arms.
17. Every experience is an opportunity to learn something about myself or others.
18. Life happens for me, not to me.
19. My past has prepared me for the future that I am creating now.
20. I let go of my resentments.
21. I release my anger from the past.
22. I am free to choose my life in every moment.
23. I let go of all regrets.
24. My future self thanks me for letting go of the past right now.
25. Letting go gives me peace, happiness, and joy.
Why Is It So Hard to Let Go of the Past?
It’s challenging to let go of the past because we have developed patterns and habits that we subconsciously cling to. They turn into automatic and even subconscious parts of our lives.
When you start working through your past issues, it can bring a lot to the surface and overwhelm you emotionally. This may manifest as fear, anger, sadness, or any number of other feelings that you may have been repressing.
Don’t be discouraged if this happens! Simply acknowledge what is going on and then choose to let it go. It takes practice, but eventually, your subconscious will accept the new way you are living life and begin to align with a positive future for yourself.
How Affirmations Help Us Let Go of the Past
You need to focus on releasing all feelings of sadness, anger, resentment, or regret from your past; otherwise, they will continue holding space in your present moment.
Affirmations are a powerful tool for healing these painful feelings and experiences.
Affirmations help you change negative thoughts about yourself and your past into positive ones that promote growth and wellness.
Since affirmations are always used in the present tense, it helps us to stop ruminating in the past and create a new reality in the here and now.
How Do I Practice Affirmations?
Just like any other habit, you can create an affirmation practice by repeating positive affirmations to yourself throughout the day. Write them down and post them around your home or workspace so that they will be easy for you to see whenever you need a reminder of their meaning and purpose.
Choose one or two to work with at first. Repeat them or write them down five times each day for a week.
Increase the number of affirmations you repeat if they have an impact on your life and emotions.
How Do You Let Go of the Past and Start Fresh?
Here are 5 ways you can hit the reset button and free yourself from the past:
1. Change Your Expectations
Even though we say we want to change, we don’t always do the deeper work of shifting our expectations. This means that we will be constantly disappointed because things don’t look how we expected them to in the past.
We need to rewire these expectations by practicing gratitude and positivity.
Once we change our expectations, we no longer need to cling to the past because we can truly appreciate what is happening in each moment of time by looking at it through a positive lens.
2. Stay In the Present Moment
Living in the past or future keeps us from experiencing our lives as they are happening. We miss out on all of the joys and opportunities that surround us when we stay stuck looking for what was, could have been, or will be.
Practice mindfulness by focusing on where you are at this moment and who is right beside you. Pay attention to sounds, smells, colors, and tactile feelings to ground yourself in the present moment.
Meditation is one of the most powerful ways to get your mind off of the past. When a thought arises, notice it, acknowledge it, and then let if float away.
Try practicing meditation for 5 to 10 minutes each day or whenever you find your thoughts lost in the past.
3. Forgive Yourself and Others
You may have experienced a traumatic event in your life that you can’t fathom forgiving yourself or someone else for. These moments can be challenging because we are carrying a grudge as a way to protect ourselves.
The only way to release this is to let go. You cannot continue to punish yourself or others for something that is in the past. The only way you can truly move forward is by letting it all go so you don’t allow your present moment to be tainted with negative thoughts or feelings about what happened before this time around.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning another person’s bad behavior or lying to yourself about what happened. It simply means letting go of the negative feelings you are still hanging on to so that you can enjoy your life again.
4. Accept Your Mistakes
We sometimes live in the past because we are replaying mistakes we’ve made over and over again, looking to see if there was a way we could have done it differently.
The best thing we can do is take ownership of what has happened by accepting it compassionately. Focus on developing new solutions for your future as opposed to obsessing over things that you can no longer change.
5. Fill Your Mind With New Thoughts
Once your mind has finally let go of the past, it’s time to fill it with as many positive thoughts and experiences as possible. You can start by reading uplifting books or listening to soothing music that will help you see life through a more hopeful lens.
You’ll be surprised at how quickly your mind moves on from the past when you fill it up with new things and release all of the negativity. It will become natural, effortless, and automatic!
Final Thoughts
The past is what defines us, moves us forward, and teaches us how to improve. However, it’s important that you don’t let it keep you stuck in a pattern that is no longer serving your highest good.
Everything we experience and learn throughout our lives has the ability to help us grow into better versions of ourselves if we allow it. The past can only continue to hurt you if you choose not to release what happened and focus on making new memories, which will ultimately lead to a more fulfilling life.
These affirmations are in no particular order, and you can choose the ones that resonate most with you at this moment. They can help to ease your mind and free you from the past once and for all.