Every time you repress a feeling it haunts you. When you deny yourself, when you don't fully express your being, it may seem like such a small thing, but over time those "small things" become a crushing weight.
Life is not about denial. The very nature of Life is to always create new. Feel everything fully in the moment, then the "past" is just a step you took into the Now. You let go of who you were to choose Who You Are here in this moment, and there's plenty more where that comes from.