Taking Care of the Old Rusty Past

I typed the words "Rusty" into Pinterest and found hundreds of beautiful photos of old rusty stuff. Some of those things just make for cool photos. Some were things that people had repurposed. There were even some who wanted to have an old vehicle like to restore it to its former glory.

What about you? Is there some old rusty stuff in your emotional life? We often have to clear out the old stuff to make room for the new. Clutter busting is a good self care activity. Look around your home and look for things you no longer need. Is there someone you know who might really need that item? Doing something for others with no strings attached is a great self care practice. It feels really good when you are the answer to someone's prayer. Even if you just take those things to the thrift store someone will find it and for them it will be like finding a treasure.

A friend of mine shared a great story about how she was deployed overseas for military duty. While she was away she had placed all her household stuff in storage. In the time she was away a hurricane hit that area and her storage space and stuff were all water damaged. When she got to her next duty station her stuff was sent to her. When the truck arrived from across the country it was still dripping and stinking pretty bad. If the driver opened up the truck he would have to unload and leave all that wet nasty stuff on her drive way. She decided in that moment to have the man take it directly to the dump. As she shared that story she had a wonderful epiphany that she also had a lot of old emotional stuff that also need to simply go to the dump. Too often we are trying to salvage stuff that can't be salvaged and we need to release it, take it to the dump and move on.

There are times when we need to sort through the painful stuff from the past and in the process we find ways to forgive, heal and move on. There are other times when spending time wading through the muck and mire is really not going to help anyone. Release it and and move on. She said that following year she had a great time finding new things to replace what had been lost.

I saw this lovely truck by the side of the road and had to stop and take a photo of it. Of course I also had to think of a way to use it in a self care post. What old relics from your past are you still dragging around?

How I deal with old memories that come up from the past. If something painful comes up I make an effort to put it away clean. I forgive, I make a point to be responsible for the things I did that hurt others and hurt myself. Even a tiny scratch can become infected. If not cared for can make you very ill or even kill you. Emotional wounds are the same. Don't just say "oh its just a scratch" or "it's nothing" and sweep it under the rug, take care of it. Do your best to put memories away clean. Your brain is like the rerun channel it plays stuff over and over. If you put things away clean when they come up in the future they are not all pussy, putrified and painful they are just a memories that have already been cleaned up and they no longer hold you in the tragic grip of pain, grief, guilt and regret.  If you need help see a counselor or talk to a trusted friend.

My Self Care Spa Wellness Activity
Make a list of things that you need to deal with and begin to work on them. I like to get the easier stuff out of the way and then build on those successes to tackle the bigger stuff. Celebrate your progress along the way.