In the past I had a mental filing cabinet full of wrongs done to me by other people, things that made me angry or hurt my feelings or embarrassed me or that I felt were put in my way as obstacles to hinder my progress. I kept these files in meticulous order and cross referenced them and filed them numerically and alphabetically. I mean I WORKED HARD on this mental filing cabinet!
When I encountered someone, I could mentally open up a drawer and pull the file and review all the negative events of the past associated with that person. This created a filter through which I saw the person and affected my relationships greatly.
One of the first things I did when I began my journey into PD was to mentally empty that filing cabinet and shred every file. GONE. That's one way the past affects the present and it was entirely my creation. And I am here to tell you, what a relief it was to be rid of it!!!!
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