Trust your Past and Future Self

As a chronic over thinker, I often ruminate over past decisions and choices, and play the “what if” game. I know many people are the same way- constantly wondering what one different decision would have led to, worrying if they took all the right steps, fearful that perhaps that one situation wouldn’t have happened had they changed their mind. 

Once this line of thinking starts, it’s easy to spiral further and further, questioning the most mundane past decisions. While analyzing choices and actions is healthy, obsessing over things that cannot be changed can become all-consuming. A life of regrets weighs on you in a multitude of ways, and steals the joy of every present moment. 

I have started to say that I need to trust my past self. I am a critical thinker, and need to give past self the grace she deserves. In every decision I now question, I can flip the script and rather than ridicule my past self, I can remind myself that she made choices based on the present. She weighed her options. She did what she thought was best. She could not read the future. It’s not fair to analyze a past situation on future context. Give her grace. 

When I start to dive into moments of questioning and “what ifs,” I take a moment and remind myself of the above. And you deserve to do the same. Life is hard, and you are doing it! 

Likewise, because overthinking is my speciality, I also love to ruminate on future decisions. I know many of you resonate with this, and know how exhausting it can be. Let’s tell ourselves that just like our past self, we are doing the best we can. The decisions we make today and tomorrow are influenced by a million tiny factors. The plus? We’ve grown! Everyday we are evolving, changing, maturing. This has helped me to make decisions based on MY needs and wants, not other people’s ideas of happiness, success, stability and joy. 

Your past self deserves grace. Rid yourself of the burdens of second guessing (it take practice!) and reliving the past over and over. Open up to new opportunities and remind yourself that you deserve good things. The past doesn’t define you, a moment in time will pass, and you will thrive. Trust your present and future self to make the best choices given your current, and very personal, situations. 

We all deserve to go through our days a little bit lighter, a little bit more joyful, and a little bit more confident. Take a deep breath, it will all be okay🤍