5 Ways to Know If You're Living in the Past

Are You Living In The Past? Check out these 5 ways to know if you’re living in the past and what you can do about it. Do you struggle to rise above any life challenges that come your way? Maybe you’ve gone from having plenty of money and a big house to living from paycheck to paycheck in a small apartment. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the loss of a relationship that devastated you but you’ve been able to bounce back and continue to live the life of your dreams. However, if you find yourself feeling stuck looking back wistfully to earlier years, and wishing things could have remained “that way,” you’re probably living in the past. If you notice you still suffer a lot of emotional pain over an upsetting event you experienced long ago, you might be stuck in your history and unable to move forward. Although some would argue, “What’s so bad about living in the past,” the fact is that doing so means the present-your reality-is flying by without you grabbing on to it to move forward and achieve your life aspirations. You’re living in the past if: 1. You think every day about some aspect of how your life used to be. Maybe you call it “nostalgia” or simple yearnings for what your life was like before. Reflecting daily on the past can get in the way of moving forward. 2. You try to sleep as much as possible so you can dream about earlier years. When you sleep at night, your dreams become fantasies about how your life was before. You look forward to those dreams. 3. You spend a lot of time on the computer. Being on the computer keeps you busy and you don’t have to think about how your life has changed. 4. You use other methods to “escape” from reality, like reading, cleaning, or even drinking alcohol. Perhaps you’re constantly in motion and doing something so you don’t have to face life as it is now. 5. You’re in denial about your current living situation....