Focus on Your Future, Not the Past

Sometimes things happen in life that can change you and those around you forever, but it's how you deal with these things that says a lot about who you are. Where you place your focus when things happen also has a major impact on how you deal with situations. It can be easy to dwell on the past, and get stuck wondering what might have been, but is that really what you should do? Here are some ways you can practice self-care by focusing on your future, not on your past.

You’re Still Here

When reflecting on past events, especially the past year, remember one thing: you’re still here. That means that whatever has come before you, whether it was a massive obstacle or defeat, that event didn't end you. You’re still here, and that says a lot about how resilient you can be. It’s important to realize that people are remarkably good at coming out on top of what they might find themselves up against. The fact that you can read this right now is a testimony to that. You might want to know what comes next, and that’s completely normal. The next step is to try to find more things that you can be happy about. 

Practice Gratefulness

The first step to really getting grounded and centered would be for you to spend some time focusing on what you are grateful for. You can do this by keeping a journal where you write down things that you are grateful for day to day. I like to keep a gratitude jar where I make notes of the big or little things that I am thankful for. This will give you the ability to look at the list after you have completed it. That will allow you to reflect on the good things you have in your life and set your mind to thinking about that instead of the things you wish had taken place in the past.

Accept Negativity as Lessons

It’s really frustrating when you put time and effort into certain relationships only to find that the person or persons were never what or who they said they were. This can be extremely jarring, and it might take a long for you to get over it, but the more effort you make to get over it, the happier you will be in the long run. You can take what you learned about people in that situation and use it to protect you from similar happenings in the future.

This doesn’t mean that you color every interaction with other people with the same feelings towards them as the people you encountered in the past, it’s more about awareness and avoiding giving people the same kind of unchecked power over you, and your emotions. Being completely frozen with fear and building a wall around yourself will be counterproductive.

See Your Future in a Positive Light

When you start to see yourself and your future in a more positive light, it’s a lot easier to see possibilities that can be open to you. Instead of thinking about where things went wrong, you can choose to use past experiences to prepare you for the future. When you have a better outlook on things, it’s a lot easier to attract more positive things in life. If you’ve committed to making a few positive changes in life that can help you achieve goals, then it’s important to figure out how to lay the path that allows you to get there.

Plan for Future Goals with a List

Goals become more of a reality when you write them down and put them in a visible place where you can see what you’re working toward every day. The more focused you are on your goals, the more likely you’ll have the motivation to make sure that they come true. Having the list also means that you can put the goals into an order of most important to least important so that you know what you should be spending most of your time pursuing.

Distance Yourself from Toxic People

A lot of people tie their worth to the relationships they have, even when the people in their lives aren’t the most positive or supportive. In order to progress personally or professionally, take an assessment of each relationship you have. If you find that you have people in your life who are toxic or damaging to your self-esteem, it’s best to distance yourself from them. And embrace the uplifting friends that have helped you to see yourself in a healthier way.