I saw this meme and it got me thinking...
I really love this because rumination creates a constant state of suffering.
Our brains do not discern the difference between past and present in our ruminating thoughts; so the same chemicals release in our bodies each time (our fight or flight response) as though the experience is happening right now. Also, our thoughts trigger our feelings which creates our current emotional state of being. So we literally create a state of continual cyclic suffering when we ruminate about past, unresolved painful experiences or trauma.
One way to resolve past hurts is to mindfully sit with the pain, acknowledge it, accept it (what happened and how you felt/feel about it, and then intentionally release it by reminding yourself that it happened in that past and is not your present.
One way to do this is to repeat a mantra like this, “I am sitting with this pain. I acknowledge that this (fill in the blank) happened and it made me feel (fill in the blank). I am acknowledging that this happened in the past and is not happening right now. I am choosing to forgive (you can add the name of the person or persons) and releasing myself from suffering any longer. I am choosing to let go of this pain and hurt. I am safe.” (If it was a traumatic event that wasn’t attached to an individual/s - omit the forgiveness statement.)
Research has shown that by doing a mindfulness inference (like the one I have suggested ) you will begin to rewire your brain to know that it is a past event and not occurring in the present moment. Then when our brains are on "autopilot" - we will be less likely to ruminate about the situation and less likely trigger both a negative emotional state and our adrenal system, thus alleviating a state of suffering (depression and/or anxiety).
Enjoy your day and know that you are valuable and that you are loved!
Much peace,
Kym