You could be holding onto memories of the past today, which could make it seem that things are out of your immediate control. Feelings about your family or early childhood may trigger intense emotional reactions to other aspects of your life. This could lead you to assume that you need to find some way to fill the hollowness you feel. Perhaps today you might want to work on letting go of the past. You can visualize taking your emotional reactions to your memories and fashioning them into a ball. Feel the heaviness of the ball and notice how it weighs you down. Then imagine throwing the ball as far as you can. This allows you to see that you and the ball of the past are separate. You may find that this helps you to lessen the emotional impact of your memories.

When we find ourselves reacting emotionally to our memories, it is important to recognize that the past cannot hurt us in the present. The only way the past can continue to hold its grip on us is if we cling to it. By picturing ourselves throwing away our negative emotional ties with the past, we learn to recognize that our past emotions do not define who we are at present. While we can value the lessons the past has taught us, we begin to acknowledge that the present moment is all that matters. Learning to release the past today will help you fill any sense of emptiness you feel with the fullness of the present.