Motivational

Dealing with Painful Memories

Memory has a significant influence on our life. Experiences and their interpretation create memories, and they make us what we are today. A large portion of what we are today is defined by past memories. They play a significant role in deciding our future as well.

We all cherish great, joyful, cheerful, romantic memories in our hearts. But with it, often we hold bad memories. Lots and lots of bad memories are stored in the heart, ready to resurface with a specific trigger. Not all bad memories are useless; many of them are teachable moments that come in handy in the future. But when the lesson is learned, how do you process them? Let’s take a look.    

What happens when you dwell too much on these bad memories?

Focusing on the bad memories could disconnect you from the present. Overthinking about the bad memories hamper your problem-solving skills. Dwelling on the bad past also leads to addiction and substance abuse. Ruminating also leads to negative thinking patterns, leading to anxiety and depression.

Suppose your bad memories are associated with a specific person or place. In that case, spending time with them or in that place becomes difficult. Thinking about those people prohibits you from making new emotional connections with new people. Thinking about those places may prevent and detach you from having new experiences in life.

It’s absolutely distracting when you dwell on the past. Dwelling there may damage the hope for the future. Suppose you continue to relive the same old bad memories. In that case, they drain you emotionally, distracting you from noticing what’s happening in the present and future.

Steps in dealing with bad memories

Non Judgement: Whenever someone or something triggers this flash-flood of bad memories, cut yourself some slack. Remember, you are a human, and you are allowed to make mistakes. Even if you seek comfort in food or something more addictive, pause. It’s okay if you feel like seeking comfort; that doesn’t make you a bad person; it makes you human. The bad thing is to give in and lose yourself in the addictions instead of focusing on the present.

Self-Permission: Allow yourself time and space to feel and heal these memories. Permit yourself to feel bad about those memories. It’s the first step of healing. This healing process will bring unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and negativities. But instead of losing yourself in them, just observe them from a safe distance.

Feel what changes these memories bring in you. Remember, feelings are not permanent. They come and go. The negative feelings associated with those bad memories will eventually pass. You will just have to permit yourself some time.

Liberate: As you have allowed yourself some time to analyse these bad memories without judgement, it’s time to vent these feelings. Write a journal. Note how your mind reacts when it’s flooded with bad memories, without any filter, judgement, or editing. Collect all that anger, frustration, sadness, and hopelessness, and put it on the paper without restraint as a sign of symbolic catharsis.

Body movement helps to shake the effects of bad memories. Sleeping on the ground, start shaking your body gently, starting from the toes and up to your head. Sing, laugh, cry, go for a jog or do a hundred pushups. Whatever works for you. This step is not like one size fits all; initially, you may have to struggle, but with some effort, you will find the correct fit to give you that sweet release.

Time: If you keep scratching the wound on your body, it will never heal. Same as that, if you keep dwelling in the past, those emotional and mental wounds will never heal. This is a long process that needs patience and dedication. It’s not a quick fix that can magically erase the memories for you. This is a journey that could even last for a lifetime. If you fall back on your old patterns, and you will, it’s okay. Pick yourself up again, and restart.

Chakra meditation for Bad Memories

Muladhara, or the Root Chakra, is located at the base of the spine. Spiritual experts believe that it’s the bridge that links our internal energy with the physical world. They believe it’s the Pranic Hard Drive, which carries our ancestral memories from this and the past life. Karmas of our past and current life dwell in the Root chakra. Hence, resurfacing the bad memories has much to do with the blocked Muladhara chakra.

Muladhara is considered a treasure, as life itself spreads from here. With powerful seed mantras chanted during meditations, this Chakra could be balanced. So next time when you will sit for the meditation, get in a comfortable position, preferably wearing loose, red-colored clothes. With closed eyes, concentrate on breathing for the next five to seven minutes.

When you begin to breathe deeply, begin chanting the powerful Beej (seed) mantra “Vam Namah” in your mind. While focusing on the location of the Chakra (somewhere near your tailbone), keep chanting the mantra. After chanting the mantra for about 15 minutes, stop chanting, and get out of the meditation.

This potent mantra will cleanse your Root Chakra, boosting your ability to focus on the present to new heights. It will create positivity within you, granting you the internal strength to complete your resolutions. If you have been dealing with unfavourable stars, this mantra will reduce their adverse effects on you.

Even though there is plenty of literature available on Chakra balancing, it is highly recommended that one learn these steps under the supervision of a Guru. Everyone has unique spirituality, personality, and experiences. One solution cannot fit all; therefore, it is imperative to seek guidance from spiritual experts to get that special mantra and Chakra meditation method crafted exclusively for you. And hence, we recommend you practice these methods mentioned above under the guidance of an expert. 

We hope this blog helped you to understand the spiritual ways to deal with bad memories.  

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