Why Can't I Let It Go?

Why can't we let go of the hurtful feelings that we have?  You know the ones that have come from bad experiences or hurtful memories.  Somehow we can't shake these feelings and they creep into our current daily life.  We don't take a chance because we failed at something a long time ago.  We are afraid to fall in love because the hurt we felt from the last time it fell apart.  Maybe it was a traumatic event that has been burned into our memory that affects the way we look at all situations now.  Why do we hold onto these feelings?  Why don't we just let them go?  Are they a way of protecting ourselves? 
I am not sure of the exact reason, but I have my own take on why we hold onto these hurtful feelings and memories.  It is our balance.  This is the way we justify all the good that comes into our lives.  How would we justify our great feelings if all we had to compare them to were our other great feelings.  All our feelings would be neutral at that point. 

Here is a suggestion for the next time these nasty feelings pop up.  When you feel one of these bad feelings creeping into your mind immediately think of the most wonderful feeling you can recall.  Now strike the balance between the two.  Maybe other kids teased you in school?  Put that on side of an imaginary scale in your mind.  On the other side of the scale put the wonderful things your partner says to you now!  Using balance will soon have you using these hurtful memories as a means of balancing instead of a way to shy away from reliving them.

Photo from Creative Commons