How to Forget Something
Strong emotions make us remember certain events. Even if you choose to forget something, sometimes even the thought of forgetting it makes you remember that thing you want to forget. So what do you do when you want to forget something? Here are some tips you may try to follow.
Acceptance and Letting Go
The first step in forgetting something is accepting it. Deal with your feelings. Accept the fact that you can’t change things no matter how much you want things to be different than they are now. Release your emotions. Cry as much as you like, write your thoughts, talk to a friend. All these will help you accept the situation you’re in.
When you’re done dealing with your feelings, let them go. You have to know when to stop sulking around. Your tears and anger won’t change anything. You can’t dwell on these emotions forever.
Detachment and Association
Your mind works in a way that you remember something because you associate it to another thing. One way of forgetting something is by changing or removing these associations. If tulips remind you of a past relationship, don’t buy tulips. You can also ask another person, maybe your best friend, to buy you tulips and associate the flowers to her. Every time you’ll see tulips, think of your best friend and not of your past relationship.
Avoidance
To make it easier for you, try to keep those things that remind you of your problems out of sight. Steer away from places that may trigger emotions and bring up memories. Do this while you’re still trying to let the feelings of attachment go. Eventually, when you’ve moved on, avoiding these things will not be necessary anymore.
Be Active
Keep yourself busy. There are many things to do in life than just sulk in one corner and waste your time on unnecessary thoughts. Find something to do even on your idle time. Find a new hobby, shop around, go out with your friends. When your mind is busy thinking about other things, you wouldn’t have time to think about that thing you want to forget, when you do, push it back. Don’t let it take over your head. Take a deep breath and continue with what you’re doing.
When you really want to forget something, you have to make an effort to actually forget it. Crying or getting mad whenever you remember it, will make it harder for you to forget.
Give Yourself Time
Like everything else, forgetting needs time. Be patient. You can’t forget something right away. To forget is like learning something new, only instead of learning, you’re sort of trying to unlearn something. Let yourself get used to that new feeling and eventually you’ll be able to take your mind off that thing you want to forget.
Remember that your mind is like a sponge that absorbs everything it can absorb. There’ll still be moisture even if you squeeze the sponge out. What’s important when dealing with unfortunate events is to remember the lessons that goes with it. Memories and its lessons make us better individuals. Learn and be wise enough not to get into the same situation again.