When The Past Makes You Hate The Present
The past does a great job at acquiring a master bedroom in your memory bank; it prefers a nice big condo where it can enjoy the comfort of spacious freedom. Whenever it feels like partying, it turns up the music and starts reminding you of how fun your past was; this can happen at anytime of the day. The past whispers via memories, “pssst . . . yesterday was better than today!”
You may be at work, eating lunch or arguing with a coworker when these memories become activated. All of a sudden, you start relating to these memories, making you feel miserable in the present. Your past turns up the music even louder, dancing more vigorously in your mind, “You bet your ass off that your past was better than today!”
This makes you feel more sad and upset. You start becoming pessimistic, believing that your future will suck just as much as your present. You start to daydream, recounting all of the awesome times in your past, while ignoring your present circumstances. You may even start crying, recalling how much you miss your past.
The past is great at coming back from the dead and making you hate the present; sometimes it does it with a malicious intent, while other times it playfully teases you. It depends on how you interpret these memories. If you are optimistic for the future and maintain a positive mindset in the present, memories of your past become pleasant or at least tolerable.
It’s when you’re unhappy with the present that you give your past more power than it deserves. When this happens, your past turns up even more, inviting others over to its condo, “Let’s rock this place until 6 in the morning!” At this point, you are so distraught about your present, while focused on your past, that you may even turn to alcohol or drugs to help numb the pain.
Don’t allow your past to control your present emotions. When memories of your past kick in automatically, maintain a present state of mind that is under your control.
Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)
DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully) 