Sometimes they are called 'old movies'.  They are memories of past experiences, real or imaginary that we are attached to. They are all in the past and by 'playing' them we keep ourselves locked into them. They pull us down, often drain our energy manufacture guilt or failure and generally reduce our joyfulness, playfulness and happiness. These old stories flit through our mind, distracting us by demanding attention.
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It is a very difficult thing to just let some things go immediately. So when we try to release these, and let them go, and surrender everything that has happened in the immediate past or in the distant past, we find we will not be able to do it immediately. Things that we think we had surrendered will come back. There are memories that are quite sneaky. They come back and dig their claws in. They may only be little things, but things which are just holding on causing stress. 
One useful tool is our breathing.

If we consciously breathe we are doing it in the present moment. The only real time is the present moment. If we can focus on our breathing pattern then we begin to gain control over past experiences. By adding our mantra ('So 'Hum')to the breath it is an added tool. These old stories serve us no purpose. The past experience may have given us wisdom or been a bit of a shake up, so there may be a growth benefit but we have now moved on. The memory is no longer of any value.

There is no blame and there is no sense of failure with this. So just slowly brush them away, breathe them away. Use the breathing pattern to focus on the present moment by saying to yourself, I am "Now" and "Here". Aim for moments of stillness and in that moment gain strength and power. 
It may be a slow process.  The important step is simply we are becoming mindful of them and recognising them for what they are. Little by little we will reduce our anxiety and begin to be more aware and able to remove those things that pull us down. 
And of course many of these stressful times have manifested themselves physically so we need to be willing to allow time for this self healing to take place.

Power of Thought
Pearls
Foundations

 

These old stories flit through our mind, distracting us by demanding attention.