Occupying your thoughts with activities may distract your mind from constantly thinking about something that's bothering you. The mind, body, and spirit are all connected. Doing something physical with the body that is enjoyable may take your mind away from the thoughts you don't want to think about.
In the study, researchers found that trying to push away your thoughts about the less obvious, background aspects of such memories was key to intentionally forgetting something. Those background aspects may include the smells and sounds related to the actual events you'd rather not remember.
Limit distractions. Don't do too many things at once. If you focus on the information that you're trying to remember, you're more likely to recall it later. It also might help to connect what you're trying to remember to a favorite song or a familiar saying or idea.
Research on the forgetting curve (Figure 1) shows that within one hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information you presented. Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information, and within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it.
Even if you're not aware of it, thinking persistently about the past may be something you do to find relief from things that are out of your control. You may ruminate on the past once and again trying to uncover new perspectives on what happened, or revising every detail as if you could change it.
If you are constantly going over the memory, it is likely that your brain is pattern matching to something over and over again, hence being reminded of it constantly. This is exactly the same process that happens when someone is suffering from PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder).
Alternatively, other research suggests that using retrieval suppression , the prevention, or suppression, of the ability to recall memories, could also help block unwanted memories. A 2022 study suggests that retrieval suppression can help to control intrusive memories by weakening them and making them less vivid.
It's normal to ruminate sometimes about some things. But chronic rumination could be a sign of an underlying mental health condition like anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Generalized anxiety disorder can cause you to have excessive and constant worries about situations that don't objectively merit them.
The Trauma Test is a brief self-administered rating scale. It is useful in determining the degree to which you struggle with the aftermath of trauma, anxiety or depression, nervous system overarousal, and difficulty with healing and recovery.
For some people, the tremors are big movements in the muscles. For others, they are tiny contractions that feel like electrical frequencies moving through the body. TRE® is not painful—in fact, most people enjoy the sensations.
Trauma Blocking: Driven to Distract After a painful experience, some people may choose to face their feelings head-on while others would rather forget. The latter can manifest as trauma blocking, where someone chooses to block and drown out painful feelings that hang around after an ordeal.
One of the most frequently prescribed is the humble fix-what-ails-you beta blocker propranolol. You may know beta blockers as drugs that control blood pressure, performance anxiety, even migraines. They also help destabilize fearful memories, which are the hardest to forget.
People with OCD might experience false memories, especially in relation to their obsessions. While false memories can be disconcerting, OCD is manageable. Finding a therapist, increasing your awareness of primary obsessions, and managing stress can also help you.
A difficulty with letting go of the past will likely be related to one or more of the following key emotions: guilt, regret or sadness/anger. Guilt is an emotion that tells us we have violated some rule or norm. For example, “I should have done this” or “Why did I do that”.
The human brain is continuously using comparisons in everyday situations to understand things, people, feelings, moments better. So when we recall positive memories, we unconsciously compare them to the present moment. What if the now is unpleasant? This possibility makes the reminiscence so painful.
Many common conditions and even some substances can cause forgetfulness. Lyndsay shared some: Depression, anxiety and stress – “These are common causes of forgetfulness,” Lyndsay said. “Stress and mood disturbances can act as a distraction and make it difficult to focus, which can lead to memory problems.”
“Stress, an extra-busy day, poor sleep and even some medications can interfere with making and recalling memories,” Yasar says. “And we all have moments when a name or the title of a movie is right on the tip of the tongue, but those events are different from the kinds of lapses that may be warning signs for dementia.”
No matter what your age, several underlying causes can bring about memory problems. Forgetfulness can arise from stress, depression, lack of sleep or thyroid problems. Other causes include side effects from certain medicines, an unhealthy diet or not having enough fluids in your body (dehydration).
If you can recall times when you've overreacted, and perhaps have even been surprised at your own reactions, this may be a sign of trauma. It's not uncommon for people suffering from emotional trauma to have feelings of shame and self-blame.