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How can I stop thinking about my mistakes?

17 Answers
Last Updated: 05/16/2021 at 5:11pm
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous - Expert in Disabilities
May 18th, 2015 1:42pm
The biggest piece of advice I ever got for this wasn't from a human. It was from both of my rescue dogs. One of the dogs was so badly behaved that she was taken back to the pound twice and was put on death row. The other was found in the woods, at 15 pounds living his life trying to defend himself against predators, thus, he was deemed too anti-social to be adopted and was also put on death row. Both dogs have worked through tremendous amounts of trauma. In the early days, the first dog ate shoes, tables, books, wouldn't listen, and was an awful mess. The other dog was afraid of everything and would bite if you attempted to touch him. Both dogs, now, are wonderful. They are perfect. They have their moments when they can be triggered, but they are 99% recovered. The reason they recovered so quickly and so well is because of one thing that humans cannot do easily: They live in the moment. The past is gone, and who you were in the past, no matter how bad the mistakes, you are not that person now. And the future? The future cannot be influenced in any meaningful way except by what you do in this moment. Do what my dogs do. Live in the moment. No matter how bad a mistake is, if you ask yourself "would I do it now, in this moment, make the same mistake?" Most would say "of course not!" Thus the moment, today, this second, you are not making the mistake. That's all you can do. Live in the moment.
Randy1
- Expert in Disabilities
March 13th, 2015 9:18pm
One way to stop thinking about mistakes is to stop thinking of them as mistakes. Perhaps they were learning opportunities. That's really what mistakes are. Maybe thinking about the differently is more realistic than not thinking about them at all.
Anonymous
December 27th, 2015 7:04pm
Stop thinking of them as mistakes, they are learning opportunities which help us in preparing for what is coming and preventing it from happening again so I learned that mistakes are good ways to prepare for what is coming and preventing them from happening again which is great
beautifulPeony
February 24th, 2015 7:52pm
I don't think not thinking about them would help. Sure, they are embarrassing and you may not like the fact that they happened to you, but you need to accept them. Yes, I made a mistake but I can't change it. Once you accept the fact that you cannot change the mistake, you are able to learn from it and see it in a new light!
BHatley91
November 10th, 2015 11:55pm
Sometimes it is not necessarily that we need to stop thinking of mistakes, but it is that we need to start thinking of mistakes in different ways! Mistakes are our failed attempts at accomplishing something. Success happens in many occurred failures bridging the way to the person finally succeeding. So don't let your mistakes be a negativity in your life, let them be a lesson! However, I do realize we all need to sometimes allow our minds an escape from time to time. Some ways I recommend doing so are by getting into a good book, watching a great comedy series on television, learning a new hobby, etc.: just any way you can possibly occupy your mind onto something else!
Anonymous
February 13th, 2018 10:57am
Mistake is an act or judgement that is misguided or wrong. And its understandable to do mistakes since No-body is perfect. We can't undo the things already happened. We should accept what has happened rather than doing grief over. Mistakes comes with an opportunity to learn with them. So just don't overthink. Just accept, Learn, improve, forget and forgive.
RaymondT
June 8th, 2015 4:53pm
It is important to make peace with the past and to move forward, being eager to try once again. Failure is not the end of the world.
XDellaX
July 28th, 2015 7:20am
to stop thinking about your mistakes you need to forgive yourself. Every human being has made mistakes, and the only way to forget is to move on.
LoveAndPeaceOnThePlanetEarth
October 17th, 2016 3:20am
The best way is to repeat this phrase a few times each day after you wake up and before you go to sleep: My past does not define me. This is my (insert number of how long you've been doing this) day of my new life.
musicalSunrise69
February 26th, 2015 1:32am
Try and think of why the mistakes happened and what you can do to try and prevent them from happening again. No one should feel upset or like their stupid from making a mistake, because no one is perfect. Mistakes offers an opportunity to learn and grow. And the more you grow from your mistakes, the more responsible you'll become and the less likely they will continue to happen.
endearingLion70
May 15th, 2018 12:39pm
By accepting the facts that we all make mistakes, cannot fix something that happened in the past and mistakes are also valuable lessons.
kia13
November 18th, 2015 6:40pm
think to that you wouldn't reach here if you wouldn't do this stuffs. beside that , its better to point them as a part of a process called gaining experience (;
blazingwolf
October 25th, 2015 10:01pm
Realise that mistakes are part of the game of getting better.
Soulfree
February 27th, 2018 8:24am
By thinking all your good deeds. Think of all your positive thoughts. Think of all your beneficial works.
JoyousBear
April 16th, 2018 8:47am
At first, have in mind that mistakes are only learning experiences. We all learn through mistakes. Then, think about what can you learn from mistake. If you can't learn anything at all and also when you found everything what can you learn from it, then if you can repair anything - repair it; then (and otherwise) distract yourself from the mistake and let it go.
StrongSpoonie
October 5th, 2020 4:52pm
Great question! I have that issue as well and there are still things from decades ago that still come up to play with my emotions. The best thing I have found is to focus on the good things that have happened recently, or if anything positive came out of the mistakes of the past. For example, I had major issues my first year of college and flunked out for a semester. However, because I graduated a semester late I was put in the position to marry my wife. You need to think about the positive consequences and understand that your mistakes are in the past and you need to move forward. I hope that helps!
Anonymous
May 16th, 2021 5:11pm
They’re already there and won’t disappear if you keep thinking over. See the difference between the old you and who you are now, change it if you’re still having the same problem, nobody is born to know everything and yes here’s an old excuse but it’s true that we all make mistakes. If all of us were thinking about mistakes without changing, then you’re likely to do it again. Remember you’re always the one who can control yourself but not the guilt or laziness. Remember all the feelings won’t last forever but will eventually fade away someday. What you need to do is simply convert your guilt into your motivation to be better yourself. I see the potential in you because you’re aware of your anxiety and willing to try to change! I believe you can come through this!!!