Don't look back!
Just a minute...I need a smile here.
I’m with you, I like to get lost in a bit of nostalgia from time to time. Who doesn’t? But I found, for myself, that too much time down memory lane can make a person depressed. Why depressed you ask? Well for starters, looking back on how things were before, can make you feel sad that they’re not like that anymore. Remembering what you once had, but now lost, is depressing. And that’s not healthy for my mental health. Or yours! I’m not saying you can’t look back a little, or once in a blue moon. But too much looking back has a negative effect of messing up not only your current life, but your future life as well.
A wise man once said, that a man wasn’t fit for anything if he “put his hand to the plow and then looked back.” Which means no worthwhile farmer would look backwards when they’re supposed to be plowing a field-FORWARD. Just like no one drives a motorcycle(or car) only looking backwards! When you’re setting goals, planning for the future, and reaching for the stars, you don’t look backwards. This all has to be done with a forward view.
So about looking back. Is it healthy and helpful, or difficult and depressive? If it’s done to learn from mistakes so as not to repeat them, helpful. If it’s done to reminisce about past opportunities not taken or loss you experienced, depressive. According to an article by Psychology Today(link posted here)- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-everyday-unconscious/202009/the-dark-side-of-nostalgia, too much looking back can steal your desire to accomplish things in the present, and steal your smile. And the world NEEDS your beautiful smile!
So take it from me. A trip down memory lane is fine if done once in a long while, and only for short trips. Instead, focus on what’s ahead. Look forward, plan ahead, set goals, give yourself some goal to work for. DREAM for your future self. And then smile about ALL the possibilities!