I live by the fact that I only can control what is in the present. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. Why are some things that are true considered “cliché” anyway? I do not think we are in full control in the moment but we are more in control than in the past and future, at least.
I have PTSD. Sometimes my past affects my present. That’s true as well. That doesn’t mean I’m living in the past, just because I’m experiencing symptoms of my PTSD – for example flashbacks and unwanted memories. It affects my present moment and I do my best to control what I can to prevent it from happening.
Sometimes it just doesn’t work though! But I’m still in the control in a sense if I’m thinking of how I respond to it. Nobody is 100% in control of anything, but we are more in control now than in the past. Or in the future.
We shouldn’t, however, blame people who are stuck in the past. It’s a privilege not to be, because that means we are well enough to be in the moment. Breathe and be nonjudgmental. It will help you being more compassionate to fellow humans.
So what conclusions can be drawn from this? Honestly, it was more thoughts I had on my mind. I have no solution, I just offer some thoughts.