Turning the page on your past is a necessity, but how do you go about it? How can we stop thinking about the past that makes us sad or angry? How can we free ourselves from this emotional burden and live serenely? Here are 5 exercises that will help you stop dwelling on the past and regain serenity in less than 5 minutes.

Why is it so hard to turn the page?

Turning the page on the past is difficult, because it’s our thoughts that keep coming back to it. And we have no control over our thoughts. They come and go as they please.

Yet we have a choice at every moment: whether or not to listen to our thoughts.

In fact, what hurts us is not our thoughts, but the attention we pay to them.

But why do our thoughts always return to our past?

In fact, we have over 60,000 thoughts every day, and 95% of today’s thoughts are the same as yesterday’s. In other words, our thoughts keep repeating themselves. In other words, our thoughts are just repeating themselves.

And the more importance we give to certain thoughts, the more we retain them.

Why is it so necessary to know how to turn the page?

It’s necessary to know how to turn the page on our past, because by definition, our past is over.

That’s why it has no place in our present. In fact, it only slows us down, and sometimes even prevents us from moving forward altogether.

Indeed, when we think too much about the past, we don’t really live in the present. The opportunities we have every day pass us by, but we don’t see them, because our attention is totally focused on our past.

In the end, our past can ruin our lives.

If you’re reading this article, maybe that’s how you feel right now.

So, the only way to free yourself from all these emotions is to turn the page on your past.

5 exercises to free yourself from your past

How do you turn the page on your past? For me, it’s a process. In fact, you don’t turn the page once and for all, you turn the page several times, sometimes even several times a day.

The good news is that it can be quite simple!

Because, in the end, freeing yourself from your past is simply a matter of letting go of the thought that invites you to cling to it.

In fact, it’s a habit to put in place. It starts with vigilance, then letting go.

In concrete terms, this means: “Here, I’m thinking about this episode from the past that’s causing me so much pain”. Then choose one of the 5 exercises that follow and let the magic happen.

Repeat over and over again.

At first, like any change, it will seem difficult. But, after a while, it will become very easy.

1 – Focus on your 5 senses

When your past comes knocking at your door and hurts or tires you, you can delve into your 5 senses.

In other words, look at your surroundings. Really look. For example, you could list 3 things you see that you like.

Then really listen to what’s around you. Do you hear birds, children? Hear cars, the wind?

What do you taste in your mouth? What do you smell around you?

Then, can you touch the fabric of your clothes, the surfaces around you?

Realize that the present has a thousand things to teach you, to offer you, while the past really has nothing left to offer you. That’s why leave it behind. You have so much to live for.

2 – Have quotes to turn the page on your past

When you realize that you’re losing yourself in your past and that it’s causing you pain, it’s good to have a few phrases to repeat to yourself that make you feel better.

Here are the 11 best quotes to stop dwelling on the past:

Choose the one you like best and repeat it for 5 minutes. You can even write it down over and over again, or sing it if you like.

“When one door to happiness closes, another one opens, but sometimes we look at the closed one for so long that we don’t see the one that’s just opened to us.”

“Don’t let your past steal your present.”

“Turning the page doesn’t mean forgetting, it just means you choose to be happy instead of hurt.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to turn the page, but when you do, you realize it was the best decision to make.”

“There comes a time when you have to stop beating yourself up over the mistakes you’ve made and move on.”

“When the past calls, don’t listen to it because it has nothing new to tell you.”

“Don’t stay locked in your past. It should serve as a lesson, not a prison.”

“Today is the best day of our lives, because yesterday no longer exists and tomorrow may never dawn. The past suffocates us with regrets and remorse, the future lulls us with illusions. Let’s enjoy the sunrise, rejoice in the sunset. Let’s stop saying “it’s too early” or “it’s too late”; happiness is here: it’s the present moment.”

“I breathe in the present. I breathe out the past.

“The greatest mistake is to destroy your present by remembering a past that no longer has a future.”

“What’s done is done. What’s over is over. You can’t change the past, you can only accept it. However painful it may be. But you can build your future, looking ahead, with the lessons learned from the past as your baggage and experience.”

“To be happy, you have to eliminate two things: the fear of future harm and the memory of past harm.”

3 – A meditation

If you find yourself dwelling on the past and an emotional tsunami is crashing down on you, I wholeheartedly invite you to take a moment to sit down in a comfortable place and take 10 deep breaths.

Then read this text, slowly and aloud.

“The past is gone.
It is over.

These are my thoughts,
that bring me back to its pain.
I can let it go.
I can free myself.

I just have to let go of the thought,
And not let the pain linger.
The pain is gone, too.

I’ve made mistakes.
It happens to everyone, every day.
I’ve been hurt.
It happens to everyone, every day.

Right now, I have a choice.
Forgive myself.
To forgive.
And be free of my past.

I’ve hurt.
I’ve hurt.
But I learned.
I became stronger, more humble.

I’m free to choose serenity,
And happiness.
Right here, right now.

4 – A visualization exercise

When an episode from the past causes you pain in the present, I wholeheartedly invite you to do this visualization exercise.

First, sit down in a quiet place and take 10 deep breaths.

Then, go back to the past episode that’s haunting you. Immerse yourself in it as a third person.

Look at yourself as an observer. Let the episode unfold as if you were at the side of your past self. Look at your past self. Look at it with kindness and compassion.

Realize that this past self did its best at the time, that it can’t change anything and neither can you.

Finally, visualize yourself hugging your past self, imagining yourself reassuring and encouraging it. Imagine forgiving him.

Stay in his arms for a moment longer. Then let go and return to the present.

5 – Use distraction to turn the page on your past

The last exercise is perhaps my favorite. It’s all about distraction. As I said earlier, our past comes back in the form of thoughts.

But we don’t have to listen to our thoughts about the past.

And to do that, we can create a diversion. In other words, we can do something else while we wait for our thoughts to pass and disappear.

You can grab a book and read for 5 minutes.

You can slam the door of your house and go for a walk for 5 minutes or more.

Or, you can play with your kids or your pet. Finally, you can cook or garden if you like.

In fact, the most important thing is for you to plunge into the heart of your present, into an action, any action, as long as it distracts you from your thoughts.

You know, all too often, we give attention to our past, when we could be giving it to our present. By just doing something, anything, as long as we do it consciously.

“I’m reading, playing, writing, cooking…”

Practice diving into your daily actions. You can even describe what you’re doing, or even sing about it.

Because what you do in the present is a thousand times more important than what you think about your past.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover What to do when you’ve suffered too much in the past: 4 comforting tips
Discover Stop dwelling on the past: 8 tips to start moving forward

I recommend this inspiring book:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming is Michelle Obama’s memoir of her journey of self-discovery, personal growth and the transformative power of accepting her own narrative. The book reflects the author’s experiences, from her childhood to her role as First Lady of the United States, and shows how acceptance and understanding of her past played a vital role in shaping her identity and inspiring others to navigate their own paths of discovery and fulfillment.

If you want to know more about Michelle, read the book. She wrote it (not some ghostwriter). Read her words, her story. You’ll discover how Michelle dealt with life’s challenges and uncertainties, and you’ll get to know a very special and wonderful person.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself