r/Mindfulness • u/Infinity_here • 2d ago

Insight Are You a Prisoner of Your Past?

The other day at work, I noticed a colleague looking really upset. When I asked if she was okay, she burst into tears and told me how her mother-in-law had made her life miserable in the past.

When I asked if they were still living together, she said, “No, we moved out almost a year ago. In fact, she even called this morning to wish me on my anniversary.”

That’s when it struck me, the suffering wasn’t happening anymore, but she was still reliving it every single day. The past had a stronger grip on her than the present.

I shared a piece of Sadhguru’s wisdom with her for better clarity,

“What is past cannot be fixed. What is now can only be experienced. What is next can be created.”

She fell silent, then quietly asked, “But how do I actually let go? Is there any tool or way to forgive and move on?”

I shared how meditation & mental hygiene helped me break free from my own compulsive habit of replaying the past. It hasn’t made me perfect (I’m still very much a work in progress), but it’s given me the ability to be present, to live life as it unfolds instead of being trapped in old stories.

And it makes me wonder… how many of us are unknowingly prisoners of our own past? How many are still trying to “think their way” out of stress without realizing there might be another way?

Are You Still a Prisoner of Your Past Or Did You Find Your Way Out?

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u/mrbbrj 1d ago

Everyone is

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u/Holly1010Frey 1d ago

I mean, im not. If anything, I'm a student of my past. My past doesn't trap me but tells me about myself. My past is me in its truest sense. it's my emotions, my memories, my real life reactions, just because sometimes it hurts me, doesn't make it bad, or a prison, building muscle also hurts but it is making me stronger. My past is both my best and my worst.

My past is not my enemy or my warden!

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u/Infinity_here 1d ago

Absolutely the past is precious for all the lessons it gives us. That experience is of immense importance if we don't keep repeating old mistakes & remember the lesson. 💯

But how do you maintain this awareness if not through meditation?

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u/Infinity_here 1d ago

There's a way out, I guess. You must explore...