Prisoner of the past. Stuck by life events and circumstances? Do you go in circles of being miserable over things you can’t control?
I should do it, no matter what happens.
I will get it, even if it will cost me my health
I am rejected, and I don’t want to be anywhere somewhere other than my room.
I hate the world for being rejected!
I can’t move on. I don’t want to move on.
I can’t. I don’t want.
I have been waiting for the right time even though it has been years.
I am a prisoner of the past.
-wander
We have a tendency to worry excessively about small things. We are sometimes stuck by those thoughts and events. It might be rejection, failure, or loss of a loved one. I am a victim of it too, a prisoner of my past. I came to the point where I had been hesitant to move forward to the next stage of my life. It felt empty.
In life, we all have our unwanted events and circumstances; they might be major or just minor.
Major in the sense that it is more on your life career, or losing a loved ones; for instances, when being rejected by the company you’ve been wanting. Another, when the person you have been dating for years declined your marriage proposal, or worst losing your loved ones.
Minor circumstances in your life are those that happens in day to day routine. For instances, extra busy days for those working in a 24 hours institution, vacation resorts that are busy on holidays; busy for them but not for you, cancelled events due to bad weather, unapproved vacation leaves, or even your mom, your life partner or HR-manager said no, to your requests.
Prisoner of the past or simply the circumstances and events that will just waste your energy, because you failed to move on. You took them too seriously that it affected your routines, mood and relationship. It has the potential to bring negative emotions that could impact your entire day or life.
As previously mentioned, various circumstances can challenge us, whether major or minor. Your reaction is the key to having peace of mind. The moment you react negatively, you will be now the prisoner of the past; however, the moment you shook it off and look at the positive sides, everything will dramatically change.
The Japanese people have this concept of Shikata ga nai. When I encountered this, I thought it was just a mere expression. Shikata ga nai is the best way to react to events like those. However, one must react accordingly not just instantly give up.
Shikata ga nai is simply the art of letting go. Letting go of the things you cannot control.
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