Learning to Let the Past Go – Mental Health Tips from Disney’s Frozen

Image courtesy of oana roxana birtea/FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

This is the first of hopefully many Disney-inspired mental health blogs. When we look closely at movies, we can find many hidden messages and tips to keep track of our mental health. Lyric credits go to composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Disney.

NOTE: There may be spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie I would wait to read the blog.

The past is pretty important, but not so important that it has to define your entire life. Working in the mental health care industry, I see lots of people every day who come in because their past has caught up with them. People often get anxiety and depression from difficulties in the past. Dark feelings happen because the past is such an insurmountable obstacle in the way of their recovery.

Disney’s Frozen is about to be released onto DVD. Frozen has some pretty important lessons and examples about overcoming the past. Elsa, one of the main characters, was born with a curse that causes her to freezes things she touches. Elsa can also create storms and ice/snow when her emotions get the best of her. Growing up she was told to “conceal it” and “hide” this power. As a result she spent the majority of her years locked inside of her own room for fear of her power. After her parents pass away and she inherits the throne and becomes the queen. The fear of becoming a queen and an accidental outburst cause her curse to become known to the world. The rest of the movie is spent watching Elsa learn to cope with her power and let her fears and worries about it go. Elsa gradually learns to accept herself and let others in. Here are some tips to let our own damaging past go as learned from Elsa in Disney’s Frozen.

1) Acknowledge the past – Acknowledge that it happened. Accept it. It’s a part of who you are and you can’t go back and change it, but you can move on. Don’t ruminate on the past because you’ll continue to be stuck, but instead let yourself move forward. Elsa’s biggest point of change in the movie was when she acknowledged that the past happened and that she had fears. Once she gained that acceptance we saw her start to move on and gain gradual confidence in herself and a sense of freedom. Just “Let it Go.”

2) Learn from the past – Even if your past is riddled with immense trauma and emotional pain there had to be something gained from the past. People with a lot in the past can be some of the strongest people. What lesson did you learn from your experience? How did this shape you for the better? Elsa learned that she was a strong person and the “cold never bothered her anyways.”

3) Use support systems – I personally feel like this is the most important part of moving forward. Learn that you don’t have to handle this all by yourself. There are professionals around as well as other supports such as friends and family that will always be there for you. Elsa was only able to learn how to reverse the winter after she realized the support she had from her sister. Without her sister, Anna, showing her sacrifice for her and what Elsa meant to her, the full extent of Elsa’s self-acceptance wouldn’t be possible.

4) Focus on others rather than yourself – Sometimes if we take the focus off ourselves it helps. As I mentioned in tip number one – don’t ruminate and solely focus on yourself. Focusing more on others or helping someone else will help you just as much. Elsa was incredibly happy in the end when she was “opening the gates” and making the villagers and her sister happy.

5) Start over but take things slow – Change is always possible even if you have made a million mistakes. There is always room for change. It is never too late to start over and move on from the past. It is also a gradual process. Elsa moved on, but she moved on slowly. Things unfortunately did not change for her instantly. Elsa accepted herself, her powers, the help and love of her sister, and started a new life over. Just like Elsa and many others who have let their past go, you can do the same and move on and start over.

Elsa's song "Let it Go" can also be a great source of constant strength and inspiration. Just remember that you are in control if your future and it should not be dictated by your past. Move on. Be your own person. Everyone has that strength and ability, you just have to let yourself believe.