Everyone lives through painful experiences. The only trouble is, after the bad time passes, we continue to carry this pain with us. But all of this emotional baggage can wear you down and prevent you from living life to the fullest. So, if you need help letting go of the past, these seven simple steps, outlined by Deepak Chopra, can help you let go and move on. Scroll down to know about how to let go of the past.

Remember the old emotion

Many of us prefer to avoid painful memories. But take a moment to remember the emotional experience that you can’t let go.

Feel the emotion in your body

Now that you’re remembering the emotion, don’t run away from it. Instead, come face to face with the pain. Notice where you feel it in your body. You might experience a physical sensation, and that’s okay. You can sit with this feeling, and it’s likely it will lose its power.

Give your emotion a name

Once you feel this emotion in your body, identify it. But don’t simply say that you feel “bad”. Try to be very specific and identify exactly what this emotion is. Naming your emotion can help to disempower it.

Write about your experience

The next step is to write about this experience in as much detail as you can. What happened? Who was involved? What was said? What were the circumstances? How did it make you feel, act and live?

Talk about your experience

After you write about the emotional experience, share your experience with someone you trust. By talking about it, you help to free it from your body and mind. Plus, it gives you an objective viewpoint that you might never have had before.

Release the emotional pain

You’ve gotten to know this emotional experience a lot better, and now, you may realize that you don’t need to carry it around with you anymore. So, create a ritual where you release this emotional pain.

You can burn your writings. You can flush them down the toilet. You can bury them. Whatever you choose, this important step solidifies the fact that you’re letting go of the past.

Celebrate your accomplishment

You just did something super empowering: you let go of the past and freed yourself from emotional baggage. That’s something to celebrate! So, treat yourself to something special. You deserve it.