Life is full of difficulties and miseries, so it’s inevitable that we’ll go through experiences that we’d rather forget sooner than later. Fortunately, there are several techniques to train the mind to cope with negative memories in a healthy way. Let us explore ways and means to detach and forget unpleasant memories.

Technique 1: Creating healthy thought patterns

a) Avoid triggers

If we happen to get overwhelmed by an unpleasant memory when we go to certain places or are surrounded by certain things, then we need to find what those are and avoid them. Avoiding them completely will ease the bad memory fading out. of our mind because we’ll have fewer reasons to call it up. All triggers are not entirely avoidable, but their effects can be negated with time.

b) Think about the memory until it loses power

Familiarity breeds contempt. Instead of pushing unpleasant memory out of your mind, allow yourself to remember what happened and think about it until the memory loses its sting. Eventually, you’ll simply stop thinking about it much. When it does pop into the mind again, it won’t be painful anymore. The disturbance due to the event that caused the bad memory has now faded.

c) Memory changes

Our memory changes slightly every time we remember. something. Our brain makes up for tiny gaps in memory by replacing them with false information. We can take advantage of this by replacing the bad portions of a memory with different information. For example, if you remember feeling scared and lonely, try to remember what occurred to eventually make you feel better.

d) Focus on happier memories

Our brains can get into ruts that are difficult to overcome. If we tend to dwell on bad memories often, we should train our minds to switch to happy memories instead. Don’t give a bad memory. enough time to change your mood or make you feel miserable. The moment it comes into your mind, shift your thinking to something pleasant. Practice positive thinking until you override automatically falling into a mental rut. We can do this by pairing an unpleasant memory with a happy one. Have a joyful memory fresh in the mind to keep you from having to rack your brain for something positive in the moments of feeling unpleasant.

e) Learn to be in the present

Teach yourself to focus more on the present moment — it’s called being mindful. Being mindful is a great stress reliever. The mind forgoes a chain to bind itself to the dead past or to an uncertain future, constantly avoiding the present. We cannot change a single moment of our past. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Why cry over spilt milk? Learn from the past and move on. Life is lived dynamically in the present.

The mind should be freed from the past, which exists but as memory, and the future, which exists but as worry — a mixture of fear and hope. Only the present is.

Technique 2: Having a Positive Outlook

a) Remember the lesson learned from the event

We can learn something even from the most horrible experience. If we can see the wisdom gained from the past event, our unpleasant memory will lose its sting. Every cloud has a silver lining. Difficult experiences make us stronger and make us appreciate the more pleasurable moments. We should always count our blessings and be thankful for what we have in the present moment.

b) Avoid intoxicants and narcotics

Mind-altering substances have the tendency to make everything worse, especially if you’re in a depressed or anxious state. Alcohol can increase depression, irritability and anxiety, as can drugs. Using alcohol and drugs to forget unpleasant memories often leads to addiction. Seek help now if you are already afflicted with it. Other forms of escapism, such as gambling or overeating, could also be detrimental to health and thus should be avoided. Acknowledging such behaviors is important to overcome them.

c) Make your health a priority

Physical and psychological health are particularly important. Being consumed with negative thoughts can make it difficult to take good care of your health. Have a nutritious diet, get plenty of sleep and practise yoga to keep unpleasant memories at bay.

“Health is not valued till sickness comes.” — English theologian Thomas Fuller

d) Keep yourself busy

Time spent sitting around with nothing to do will make you dwell. on unpleasant memories. A busy person never has time to be unhappy. A full schedule and a stimulated mind equal less time to dwell on negative thoughts. Engage in any creative activity.

Volunteering is a terrific way of helping others while taking your mind from your own problems.

You cannot prevent the birds of sadness flying over your head. But you can prevent them from nesting in your hair. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

e) Form new happy memories

Bad memories tend to fade away with time, but we can speed up the process of creating positive new memories to fill our minds. Spend more time doing the things that you enjoy and in the company of those that make you happy. The more positive memories you can make, the less significant the negative ones become. Have new experiences wholly untainted by the past. Travel to a new place, engage in community activities or start a new hobby. Read joke books and watch comedy shows and comedy movies. Recall dialogues and scenes that invoked the maximum laughter.