Do past guilt, worries, overthinking have an expiration?

[user59]

Hi, I'm the type of person to overthink a lot and have had a lot going on the past few years, thinks I feel guilty about that I hold on to, worries and a lot of not letting myself live my life (not intentionally)
Just curious as to anyone who has had any really mentally and physically challenging times has got any suggestions on how to get by or how long is natural to hold on to past worries and issues? Or if it can be normal to beat yourself up for years?
Thank x

I don't know if I can be of much help but didn't want to read and run.

I think it depends on what you are feeling guilty/worrying about. If you done pretty bad things have you tried to right the wrongs?

If it's general shit that we all get wrong sometimes and feel guilty about then I find they fade in a few weeks. It sounds like you probably need to talk things through with a professional though.

Hopefully someone else will be of more help, take it easy

Yep, me too. I am very good at beating myself up for years over things I have done in the past. In fact, it wasn't until I realised that this is genuinely impeding my current life (I couldn't see any other way that I could live as it was so much a part of my day to day life) that I faced this part of myself. I have had a lot of therapy as I believed I deserved it. I desperately needed another perspective as I 100% thought I was as awful as I was telling myself.
So no, it's not normal and I hope you can find a way to let it go. Eckhart Tolle has written a lot about the internal voices that we listen to in 'The Power of Now' so I would thoroughly recommend this to try, but if you can't shift perspective on your own (I couldn't) then I would seek professional help.
In the meantime, it has helped me to consider the fact that I don't talk to other people how I speak to myself, and really try and understand why it is ok to 'beat myself up' and why I would find it unacceptable if someone else spoke to say, my kids or other children in the way I talk to myself.
Also remember we all have shit in our past that we wish we could change but we can't. That's human. We have to find a way to live with ourselves. And just because we look back and cringe or berate ourselves for past mistakes, we all absolutely have the capacity to change. Good luck, you can do this. Also, watch out for other people in your life who reinforce that voice for you. You'll know who they are.

It’s something you have to beat yourself. The past is what causes mental health issues. The only way to never get depression is to never look back. You can’t change it ever. I beat depression and told myself I would never have it again as it was so bad. Even though I’ve just lost six years to the most horrific abuse ever lost my home and had to live with my sister I am not depressed I never think about it. It’s gone forever it can’t be unseen or changed only way to live is to forget it and make memories that I can think about. You learn from what haunts you. My determination to never have depression agajn and knowing it is caused by going back and reliving hell is what makes me never give it another thought. You can do it but only by yourself

Isn't it awful? I done something decades ago that I still beat myself up about from time to time. Guilt is horrible but I think it can be a good thing because it makes us think twice about behaving the same way again. I certainly would never do it again because of how it has made me feel....plus it was a shit thing to do anyway and I wish I could go back and change it.

I think talking and thinking it through could in some cases make overthinking worse. Have you heard of the somatic approach, which is working on bodily exercises, including breathing, because accessing issues through the body affect us in a more immediate and deeper way and bypass the thoughts. I also like kundalini yoga for this if you can find a good teacher. There is a podcast called anxiety slayer which might also be worth a listen.