How to Think Into the Past Without Getting Depressed
By: Brandon Bell
Tags: Present, Life, Past, Self, Feelings

How to Think Into the Past Without Getting Depressed

Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

How many times a day do you think about something that happened to you in the past? Probably more than a couple of times right? The process of doing this can become very stressful and could even lead you into a slight depression.

Everyone has made mistakes in their past or has been in a situation where things didn’t go as they expected. A certain number of these memories stick with us, days, months, and even years later. Those events had such an impact on us at the moment they happened and now have become glued to our brains years later. Even good memories are still in our heads.

Sometimes we need to look into the past to remember something that can help us today. When retaking a test for school, I had to look back into my brain for my thought process during my first time taking that test. All I could remember was how stressed I was while taking the test and the sadness I felt when I found out I failed the test.

Thinking back to this time helped me to become motivated to pass the test the second time I took it and I know that I didn’t want to experience those feelings again.

The past can be depressing if you let it, sometimes we find something that triggers a bad moment from our past, and at that point, we feel out of control. Our brains instantly go back to that moment that we so much feared and we have to deal with the emotions that come with it.

It’s good to know that thinking into the past can be useful, it doesn’t just have the power to make you depressed but it also has the power to make you into a better person.

Know What to Expect When Thinking Back

You know the potential feelings that can come with thinking back to the past. When recalling a certain memory, get your mind prepared for what’s about to come. Take a deep breath and know that the memory you’re about to remember is in the past and it is now gone.

It will only make you sad if you allow it to. Even if you do end up sad for a little bit, it will only be for a few moments and eventually, you’ll start living your life again. Memories should be used for a good laugh, a good cry, or as a learning lesson. You don’t need anything more out of your memories.

If you know that the memory you’re about to bring up has struck feelings before then you know what to expect. Hold yourself together while you’re recalling the memory. The more trust that you have in yourself to stay calm, cool, and collected during that realization then the calmer you’ll be when you bring it up again in the future.

If a memory that you have immediately makes you upset or puts you in a negative mood, laugh at it. That’s right, even if it’s a fake laugh, do it. Don’t let that memory become an enemy. Stand up to it and view it as a joke rather than a stressful moment.

I like to do this when I’m having a deep conversation with someone. Usually, if I want someone to open up to me, then I’ll open up first, I do this by bringing up a time in my life that was hard for me, and instead of saying it with a broken tone in my voice, I laugh when I say it to let myself and the other person know that the memory I’m talking about doesn’t affect me how it used to.

Have good intentions when thinking back to your past, if you’re listening to a sad song that you know will make you reflect back on some tough times in your life, you better be ready to fight those feelings that are about to come.

Use these memories to make yourself a better person, not someone who is going to have a hard time getting out of bed the next morning.