Emotional baggage is often the heaviest and most times we don’t realise how much we are carrying. It’s only when entering new relationships, new environments or situations that we realise how much our past can affect our future. We hold on to fear that we are going to get hurt again. We fear that everyone’s the same. This is especially true with past traumas and in some ways, it protects us from opening the same wounds again, yet in others it holds us back from happiness, love and from living our lives to the fullest.

From experience, I have learned that life isn’t a fairy-tale but through faith and hope, I still believe in happily ever afters. How we use our past to better our future is really what moulds us into more evolved human beings, we see issues before they overwhelm us rather than when they're about to hit us in our face. We make healthier decisions, we put our own mental health, peace of mind and positive soul first.

This week, it’s time to unpack the suitcases. Pick a bag, any bag. Just one will do and let’s work our way through it.

-          What is causing the baggage?

-          How did that make us feel?

-          What was the lesson?

-          How can we use that lesson to better our future rather than hold us back?

Recognise your hang ups and try to figure out what you learned from that, how you can actually be thankful for that experience. Most importantly, don’t allow it to cloud you forever.

For example;

Your ex may have cheated but that doesn’t mean that everybody is going to and if we enter new relationships believing that everyone will cheat then we can never be settled or happy. The lesson is to trust your gut if you think something isn’t right, have an open conversation about how you are feeling but don’t let it over rule your life. Don’t lose faith in people because of one person.

“Thank you for removing something that wasn’t right for me” – AJR.

That quote pulled me through one of my toughest break-ups, job losses and even the loss of friendships. I try to be thankful that although I am hurting, I am on a path to newer, better things. All things in life teach us lessons, the type of man/woman we don’t want, what not to accept in jobs, when to let a toxic friend go etc. Take those lessons, heed the warning but continue to move forward.

It’s always better to unpack the suitcase, see what's inside, organise it and then store the suitcase safely away (contents free!)