How can I forget about the bad memories of my past?

I can let go of the bad memories in my past as I train myself to focus on the good things that happened to me and that good things I have, my good character and my values. I like to find a good balance in my life between personal growth, family life and work life, in that order. Learning that being more sure about who and keeping a sound mind that cannot be shaken will only help me when I communicate with people who try to hinder my progress or want to do me harm. I will also like to forgive these people so I can move on more easily.

Always try to look at the bad memory in a different way, discuss it with a person to get it out or rant it out on a piece of paper. It's never going to help by bottling it up. The longer you have it inside yourself, the worse it'll get. If it's involved with someone, it'll be a big step forward by going to that person and talking about it, anything, to get that frustration out. If not possible, we listeners on 7 Cups are always here to listen to your frustrations, and we'll be open and will greatly accept you.

It can be hard to not let the thoughts of the past pop up, but I will not always focus to forget them but to remember what they have taught me. I focus on reminding myself that I am greater than the things that have happened to me. I practice positive affirmations daily to ensure that when I do get down, which happens, I have the tools to pick myself back up. The hardest part is creating new habits and allowing new patterns of thinking to prosper. Take it one teeny, tiny step at a time if you are new to this. It will get easier and you will be able to add more and more to your plate as you go.

When forgetting bad memories remember to let go. Try to think of that situation less and less. When you think about the situation push it out of your mind until you forget all together. Also try to go different places and hang out with different people which at the time will get your mind off of the bad memories, and you will start to make new memories that you can think back to instead of the bad ones. Try talking about the memory to someone because maybe they experienced the same thing. Talking things out usually help you to feel at least calmer about the situation and maybe a little bit better. Sometimes talking can get your mind off of it for a little while.

I think it is not possible to forget bad memories of the past. It is a better way to accept that you have bad memories, but they don't define your life path. They belong to the past, and maybe you can learn from them, or if not, than it is best to see that they are still a part of you, but not one that control you. You control them by not looking away, but by looking at them when you want it. If you try to forget them, they will stay and return on their own terms. Don't let them have so much power.

All things in life teach us a lesson, even those bad things in our past. For me, helping others through similar situations has been a great source of healing and being able to empower myself. There are many methods of going through bad memories and sorting them out and helping us heal. Support groups work for some people but I personally prefer one on one interaction with a therapist. You will know what works for you by your level of comfort. It can be a process of trial and error but there is hope that we can come to a point where we are not a slave to those bad memories and instead just look at them as another thing that made us the strong person we have become.

Sometimes it can be very difficult to forget about unpleasant past occurrences. Our minds dwell on them and anticipate a future reoccurrence. It is important to be able to let go of the past and focus on the present. I found one of the best ways of doing this is positive distraction. Find something you enjoy doing and do it as much as you can. Doing things keeps your mind occupied and it’s less likely to wander toward negative thoughts. The more engaged your brain is in the activity, the less power it has to wander. Things like reading, writing, drawing, doing word or number puzzles, and other brain stimulating activities can be very helpful in those situations. Personally, if I find my mind circling around in the darkness, I take a few deep breaths and sit down with a good book for at least thirty minutes. By the time I’m done, whatever I was dwelling on before has been completely replaced by the information I gained through my book, and my brain continues to think about the book for a while after. In my opinion, engaging your brain is the number one way to combat bad thoughts or negative memories!

The best way to forget your bad memories of your past is to not giving attention to them. Therefore, distract yourself from thinking about your bad memories from the past. Don't write diary about your bad memories of your past. If you have already written a diary, don't read it. Hide it somewhere you won't see it for many months or even years. Don't open it for all costs. Don't memorize or even celebrate anniversaries of bad things which happened in the past. If possible, distract yourself from everything what can trigger your bad memories from the past. If you can't entirelly distract yourself from these things, try not to think about memories from the past but about present event which takes place now.

There are many different techniques to recover from traumatic memories, but it isn’t beneficial to forget them, since then you can’t learn from them. I believe talking through your issues with a trained counselor, therapist, or listener is a wonderful way to progress to finding closure in that memory. I did this with my trauma, and it helped me. It takes a while, but the end result is a much more peaceful, wise, and happier mind. I talked to my therapist, my counselor, and my close friends and family about my experiences, and with the empathy from them, I was able to recover from negatively impacting feelings associated with that memory.

Bad memories can take a long time to forget. In fact, sometimes we can't forget them, only learn to accept. It is completely normal to think back to the past sometimes, but do not let it rule or ruin your future. You cannot change what has happened. Accept how you feel about those memories I.e it may be sadness, grief, anger and learn to let go of them. Distract yourself from any negative thoughts with the things you enjoy. Talking to others is also very important, sharing these memories with someone else may help you to process and accept them.