Clever Brain

Dealing with Distracting Memories

In life we are bound to gather various memories. These may be filled with fun and laughter, but others can be of sadness and grief-even trauma or embarrassment. While there are a lot of things you want to remember, there are also those which you want to forget, as these easily distract your present disposition. Thus, while other people try hard to increase their memory, it is also important that you know how to deal with memories which you’d rather forget.

Learning to forget distracting memories can help you to remember more important things.

Forgetting something cannot be easily done by means of “not thinking” about it. There are still some instances when you just remember them out of the blue, or you encounter things, events, and people which remind you of those memories-and these cannot be avoided. Thus, if you are trying to learn how to get over such memories which seem to haunt you, then here are some helpful ways to deal with them:

1. Learn to let go. The first thing to get rid of all the distracting memories you have is by learning to let them go. One reason why they keep on coming back is because you still haven’t accepted the fact that they already happened, and that there’s nothing you can do to change them. Take a moment to relive that memory in your head, think about everything that occurred in that particular situation, and slowly let accept that fact and let it go. This is quite a difficult process which needs a lot of willpower, but through meditation and therapy, it would only be a matter of time for you to get rid of them finally from your system.

2. Think about the funny parts. In every bad memory there is a funny segment. Thus, when you are reminded of a rather embarrassing or depressing thought, laugh at it, especially when you come to remember how you dealt with them in the past. After realizing that you’ve been acting foolish and fairly hilarious at that time, then you have just transformed those memories from being distracting to actually entertaining.

3. Focus on other, more worthwhile activities. One good way of forgetting bad memories is by keeping yourself busy. The more free time you have, the more space you will spend on wallowing on those sad thoughts. Get a job, watch a movie, hang out with friends or engage into reading. These are just some of the ways in which you can enjoy life fuller, enrich your brain with new information, and as well replace those bad memories with newer, better ones.

4. To those who are grieving, celebrate your departed one’s life and times, not his death. It is normal to cry and be sad for the loss of a loved one. However, it is not healthy to remain stuck with the person’s death for the rest of your lifetime. If you think it would be very difficult for you to forget the fact that your departed loved one’s already dead, then don’t think about it. Rather, celebrate those times you shared where you felt happy-and that that loved one would not want you to be sad because of him.