My healing Covid brain was as blank as the computer screen staring back at me.

New post? Meh.

After testing a rabbit hole about the veracity of the “man flu” theory – I was trying to rediscover an article from a few years back about how men may experience colds and flu differently than women – nothing jumped out at me as being particularly exciting.

The “man flu” thing was inconclusive. Apparently, women may get a stronger immune response at the onset of illness and more rapidly recover thanks to hormones. Estrogen seems to bolster immune response and testosterone dampens it. (menshealth.com, Dec. 12, 2017, Carolyn Crist)

No fireworks.

What does get me fired up is change.

We so often fight change at every turn, resisting new approaches, and relying upon the adage that personal change is impossible because, “That’s just the way I think/am/do” – “I can’t help it” – “I was brought up that way.”

What we cannot change is the past, and it’s the past that is often what’s holding us back from moving forward.

Traumatized? Abused? Lack of support?

We could all compile quite a list along with who was at fault. Perhaps we have memorized this list and revisit it every day, keeping the litany of past injuries and villains at the forefront of every thought.

Friends, we are robbing ourselves of living our present moment by holding on to the past.

Before we move forward, we must release the past.

“But he/she did me wrong!”

True enough.

How is reliving that trauma helping you now?

You can let it go. Yes, you can.

Our past has given us many lessons, required us to strengthen in ways we never imagined, and has equipped us to live in this moment – only if we allow ourselves to truly live and experience the new things.

The past must be released. Released with love and a blessing.

What?

“That stuff was bad … They were bad … There’s no love or blessing there!”

The love is for you. The blessing is for the strengthening lessons you learned along the way and for those who hurt you, that they may somehow come to know peace and move forward as well.

Do this:

Find an object you can wrap your fingers around. Cell phones and TV remotes work great; so do spoons, pens, or a marker.

Hold this object in your hand. Look at it. Get a good grip around it.

This object is symbolic of what you’re holding onto.

Hold it close to your chest because we tend to hold these things close to us, not wanting to let go.

Close your eyes and take a few slow breaths.

Thank this life lesson for what you have learned from it. It was traumatizing, yes, but you gained many life skills from this experience, and you are stronger for it.

Keep slow breathing as you consider the positive aspects gained from this trauma.

Ask yourself if you’d be willing to release this experience, letting go of the negative and those who were involved, while still retaining the positive for yourself.

If you agree to let it go – even if you don’t know exactly how you can do it – maybe you can just be willing at this point – then, as you open your eyes, bring your hand away from your chest.

Look at your grip loosen on the object. Bless once again the lessons learned and yourself, release the pain and those who caused it – blessing them as well.

Then, set the object down, releasing your hand’s connection to it.

Take another long, deep breath.

Maybe you are just going through the motions the first time you do this but keep at it each day. In time, your relationship with past traumas will shift.

My dog-eared, underlined copy of The Essential Louise Hay Collection continues to inspire. Next week, we’ll explore being willing to change.

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In health –

Deidre