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Health & Fitness

What to Do When Past Pain Resurfaces

As we go through our lives working through challenging personal situations, healing from them, and accepting them for the lessons they taught us, the old pain that you released may rise to the surface again when we least expect it. Days, months, or even years after you think you have successfully handled the feelings and emotions from the past, you may encounter a situation that is reminiscent of the ones you thought you had a handle on.

Thrown Off Balance
At first, you may be thrown off balance as thoughts and emotions from the past threaten to overwhelm you. However, you are not encountering this situation for the first time. You have already been through this, and you have already learned better ways of handling this situation. For instance, let's say you are in a situation in which you feel that a person with a forceful personality is trying to manipulate you by insulting you, belittling you, demeaning you, or twisting your words around to suit their needs. Having dealt with this in the past, you are more likely to recognize the manipulative techniques that this person is trying to employ. While it may make you upset to find yourself dealing again with someone who displays this type of negative behavior, you may actually be handling it better than you think.

Reacting Differently through Assertiveness and Love
In this particular situation, it is important to note that the person who is attempting to be manipulative is acting from a place of fear and ego. He or she is not acting from a place of love. It is this person's intention to force you to bend to his or her will because he or she is afraid of losing power. What this person does not realize is that the perceived power has already been given away the moment he or she decided to allow fear to take over his or her thought processes. When you recognize this, you can choose to react in a manner that does not feed into the fear that this person is projecting. By knowing who you are, you can stand up for yourself in an assertive manner, which is representative of the love that you have for yourself. It is important to note that reacting with aggression, rather than assertion, will only feed into the negative behavior of the other person and drive the situation away from a positive resolution. Stand strong and confident in the love that you have for you, and for the positive and fair resolution of the problem for all involved.

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Forgiveness Ushers in Healing
Try not to be upset with yourself if you initially get angry or distraught over the circumstances you are facing. It can be very challenging to deal with situations that are similar to those that brought you pain in the past. Allow yourself to acknowledge your feelings, and then release them. Be at peace with yourself. In your heart and mind, forgive yourself and the person who treated you in this manner, and let go of toxic feelings. Holding a grudge will only serve to hurt you and prevent you from moving forward. Pray for this person's health and happiness, and let go of the negativity by recognizing that this person has not yet learned to operate from a place of love. Your prayers may help them to move forward, which will mean one more person in this world who embraces the light and love of which we are all a part.

Help Is Available
If you need help working through the emotions and feelings that have arisen from the situation that triggered the resurfacing of past pain, ask God and your angels for help, and speak with friends and family members who are supportive of you and your goals.

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Silver Linings
No matter how negative a situation may appear on the surface, there are positive reasons for why they occur in our lives. Once we have lived through the challenging circumstances, we can look back to see what we have learned and decide which route we are going to take if we encounter them again. Situations that rehash pain from the past is not a punishment, but rather an opportunity to put into practice the lessons we have learned and to confirm the growth that has taken place within our spirits.

Namaste!

With Light and Love,
Karen T. Hluchan
Spirit Medium, Motivational Speaker, Reiki Master, & Author of How Have You Loved?

www.HealingSpiritWithLove.com

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