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

I don't think we can ever forget bad memories from the past unless one dissociate herself/himself or when we try to repressed those memories which have high chances of getting back when certain factors triggered us. Sad to say memories from our past always has its way to haunt us whether we liked it or not. there was a saying that pain never really goes away we just get used to it that we numb from it, or in the long term we learn on how to cope up with it. However acceptance (no matter how hard it is) can be one of the keys. we can't change our past bad memories however we can do something about it in our future.

Someone once told me that bad memories makes up who we are and I didn't understand what they meant. The time I was told this I was this jolly person and had a fantastic life and honestly speaking i thought they were just out of their mind and I remember laughing and walking awatlittle did I know. Then my Father died, my mom left me and my mother's in laws abused me . I would fight every day not to remember what happened to me and it made it worse. The more I fought my thoughts the more they haunted me. These thoughts drank my confidence and esteem, I had no life of my own because I wanted to be happy like all the people around me. So I started this thing i would remember a bad memory and face it, look for light in the darkness. Search for something positive. I started embracing my problems. I started to realize that if it wasnt for the challenges I passed through I would not be where I am. Your bad memories make you and be proud of you. Love yourself and see the light in the dark. I hope this helps someone

Bad memories are really hard to deal with. Now the bad memory, might be coming into your mind. So from we can understand the depth of this. They bother you for a long time. The first misconception I had was to forget about it. To forget it people ignore such thoughts but I thought more about it. So ignorance is a temporary solution but the permanent solution is different. So forgetting them is a long way to go but you do have a choice to live with it positively or negatively. Negatively- means that you just keep thinking about it and how hard it was and you're basically reflecting the negative thoughts by focusing on them and feeling bad. Positively- is to live in reality. The present time you live in is now the reality. The reality in the past doesn't exist. It only exists in your conciousnes. So convince yourself that it is over because it is. If you think about it, it occurs in your very mind. So the best positive thing which I did was to remember it was the past and was a new experience for me. Though negative but it can still make me feel stronger. Don't worry about the Future too much, the future also doesn't exist. Just live in the present and give your best in the present. “Yesterday was history, tommorow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it's called present.”~Oogway- Kung Fu Panda

This isn’t an easy one, especially when you still have to be around people, things, or situations that can be reminders of those bad memories. It’s not a one day job, it takes time. But remember that you are the owner of your mind. Staying away from triggers may be helpful, and it may also help to find a way to reconcile with the past, if possible, but the most important thing is to take back control of your mind cause you may not always be able to stay away from triggers. These thoughts may come, but you can make a conscious decision and effort to let them go, perhaps by focusing on something that brings better emotions. The goal is to refocus when you notice your mind has shifted towards that, and keep on doing so until you have more control (which will happen eventually). The mind is very powerful but remember you’re in control, you decide what stays and doesn’t. Bad memories of the past only hold us back more times than not. And you may not be able to change the past, but you decide what actions you take towards a better future and better decisions right now.

In the words of Daniel Howell, what you're experiencing are called "cringe attacks". Out of nowhere, you'll suddenly remember an embarrassing or painful memory from your past, which will then cause a physical reaction in the present. I myself have experienced many cringe attacks, but I have learnt how to minimise the damage. The most important thing when trying to forget bad memories is forgiveness. You have to learn how to forgive yourself and the people who have wronged you in order to move on. If you have forgiven yourself for your mistakes and forgiven other people, your reaction to these memories will improve significantly. Plus, if you feel embarrassed or hurt by these bad memories, it means you have matured as a person and are better than you were in the past, so that's wonderful. However, if you really want to do something about it, I would suggest taking actions to resolve the bad memories. If you've wronged someone, apologise to them. If someone has wronged you, confront them. If you're just embarrassed at something you did years ago, relax: no one remembers.

I don't think we're supposed to forget about the past. in fact, if we try to, it could lead to more issues along the way. I think we need to find a way to accept the past, instead. There's a huge difference in accepting and forgetting (and as I said, we can't forget traumatic things only bury them). Meditation is a great way to deal with these bad memories. There are tonnes of guided meditations on Youtube (free) that will be specific to whatever memories you have. Meditating will help you look at your past and see how and why it is affecting you today. Sometimes, we default to thinking things about ourselves that are negative. Although these thoughts don't make us feel better, we feel safe when in a place we are familiar with. We need to recognise when we are doing this and again, meditation and self-reflection can help with this.

Firstly, you need to accept the fact that life goes on. We need to think of everyday as a new one. No two days are exactly the same. There was a line a friend of mine said to me. "We build walls to keep away the sadness but we don't realise that those same walls keep happiness away too." Let that happiness allow to enter in your life. Build new memories. Beautiful ones. Those memories will help you replace the old ones. We can't change the past, we can never forget it but we can accept it as a part of us. Learn something from it & move on. Do everything you loved to do! It might be hard for few days but they don't have to be perfect. Just do things for yourself. Hope it helps. :)

Many of us struggle with forgetting things. Some more where are my keys or what did I study last night before the test. Others are things we would prefer to forget but pop up anyway. Some suggest it is a subconscious drive to handle unfinished emotional issues. Others suggest it is a defense mechanism to prevent us from making a similar action that hurts us. Either way it is our brain bringing to the front what it wants us to see. I suggest two things, one is to find a sense of security around the issue. Tell your self and prove to yourself that it is not going to happen again. Second overlay good memories that reward your brain so the negative ones are reduced in importance. Both take time and careful attention to not create a worse situation or lose touch with what is real in your world. Guidance by a councilor is advised in my opinion, and patience, lots of patience.

Though it might be hard to forget bad memories completely, one can learn to ignore it or stop giving it importance by keeping yourself engaged by learning new activities such as taking up online courses, learning a new instrument to play, or any hobby, working out, etc. One can also try and make new memories by having new experiences by traveling, experiencing new cultures, making new friends, or anything that might have a positive impact on your life. If nothing works out, you can try meditation, or have to seek help from a professional. It is not about how you completely forget the memory, it is about how you are able to move on, even when it you have it. I hope this helped :)

I dont think you need to even try to forget them. I think you just need to understand them for what they are and recognize the impact they've had on you or your life. some of the bad experiences in our life can become who we are if we dont see them as an event that happened to us. This not saying that they are not significant or very powerful, but often it was not our choice and someone else did it to us. so when I accept something or something bad crossed my way and it was not my fault and I am doing the best I cant to heal my self then in time the memories belong in the past.

We cannot necessarily forget about our past but change the way we look at it. We can either take what happened and learn from it and use it as a strength, or we can let it consume our thoughts. I think to move on we have to acknowledge that it happened, but tomorrow is a new day and nothing is permeant. To know that we are in control and we can choose how we look at things. In all reality to look at it as we are survivors of said memories and that we have made it through the challenging times.

You don't have to forget them, infact I don't even believe that that's possible. But it is a good thing to try to accept them. Talking to others about those memories is a good way, or maybe writing about them. Finding something that you can let your emotions out about that past situation is a great way to do that! Once you accept them you will have a better relationship with acceptance and that specific memory. It is kind of the same thing like forgive and forget. You have to forgive somone, in order to forget whatever has happend. I wish you the best of luck!

You can forget about the bad memories of your past by focusing on the good memories and try to distract your mind from negative thoughts. Using some techniques like staying positive and do the things that make you happy. By focusing on good things and try to be happy you feel that you are distracted and have better control of your mind. Avoiding the things that trigger the bad memories and pay attention to what you like to do will help to stay away from bad memories. Also talking to a therapist and learn the coping skills will be another way to forget about the bad memories of your past.

I think that there is no way to "forget" bad memories. Hear me out! While there is a way to bury that bad memory and forget about it for a while, it will always come back and haunt you, stronger than ever. So, I think the key here is not to forget, but to overcome. If you made a bad decision, you learned from it and grew wiser. If a tramatic event happened, it wasn't your fault, and it does not define you. But you need to face it. You must look at it in the eye and say "That is not who I am. It does not define me, and never will".

One of the best ways to forget negative memories is to replace the bad memories with good ones. For example, I failed my driving test the first time I took it, and it left me with a negative memory. The best way for me to forget it is to take the test again and remember that I will pass, even though it may not be immediately. If you are met with a bad memory that cannot be redone, try to distract yourself with positive activities and energy. It is helpful to have a support system of friends and family that can assist you in establishing new, good memories. You can take small steps in this direction in order to add more positive energy to your life every day.

Often when we think about our past experiences bring us the same pain as if it was happening again at that moment. Past is in the past and its over and it doesn't have affect on us now unless we let it affect us in this moment. Talking, journaling about it, making new beliefs about it or simple techniques that you can find online will help you solve that issues and you will see next time when you remember it it will be just a simple memory and not something that is defining or affecting us in some way in the present.

We don't necessarily need to always forget or is forgetting really possible? What would help is to accept the bad and be progressive in creating better memories. If we experience more of better memories in our life than bad ones then our life quality is geared towards the positive and we're also being progressive with managing our life. The essence of managing our lives is to understand that the thoughts that we have affect our emotions and the emotions we have affect our actions. If we let positivity run our life then we have a better way forward instead of feeling stuck not knowing that thoughts come first, emotions second and actions are the output.

Try to focus on how you are feeling presently and in what way you want to change your life in the future. This includes both short-term and long-term changes. Bad memories of the past can be extremely challenging to deal with, but the key is to accept that the past is just that. The past. And you cannot let it affect your future. If you feel overwhelmed by memories of your past, grounding techniques may help. This includes using your senses to name something you can see, touch, smell, hear and taste. This is will help you remember that you are living in the present and those memories have passed.

you can’t. but the thing is you dont have to either because they are a part of you and thats okay. they made you who you are now. they made you strong they thought you lessons that you will always need in the future. I used to want to forget as well so i understand where you are coming from. Dont put pressure on yourself to forget anything because it doesn’t work like that you have to be patient with yoursef and understand that they don’t make you worse they improve you. Always love yourself and try to accept the things that made you who you are now. you are loved and important.

Memories are memories. I don't think there's any way to forget them as such but you can go back to them, analyze them, figure out what makes it "bad" to you. Once you understand the incident, I think you'll gain some clarity and learn to let go of the bad part of it. Also I think everything happens for a reason or with reason, if that makes sense. So you could look at it like this, What was the universe trying to teach me or tell me through this experience? Why did this happen to me? You'll probably be glad it happened to you.

From my personal experience, you can use cognitive reframing techniques to reshape the bad memory. It's close to impossible to fully forget a memory, but changing your perspective (reframing) can make the memory more tolerable. For example, instead of viewing your memory negatively, try reframing the situation in your mind by thinking how much you've learned/grown from it. It might be tough at first, but you can train your brain overtime to reframe situations with little to no effort. Also, I think it's important to process those bad memories instead of pushing them down. Processing these memories gives you time to reflect and come to a more positive frame of mind when in the future the memories resurface. Hope this helps!

I don't think you can fully forget bad memories that happened to you in your past. But, from experience, I can tell you that creating new, happy memories with the people you love can help. If you try to hard forget them and you focus on that, you won't reach your goal. Life is too short... So, yeah, basically, I think that it's not possible to fully forget things on purpose. Probably time will help and you'll probably won't think about those bad memories as often. So, as I said, I recommend to creat new memories. Everything gets better, I promise. You matter and you are loves. Take care xx

There is no possible way to wipe bad memeorys, but i find that, just facing those bad memories make them less powerful. It takes time and will be hard for a while but as soon as yyou can face it and go through that pain things will turn out alot better. I hope that you are able to get past this pain you feel, just give yourself 20 minutes a day where you allow yourself to remember one of those bad memories, and each day those bad memories will get weaker and weaker until they no longer effect you :) good luck. hope it goes well

I could make this extremely complicated but its actually simple. It's hard, it's very hard but you have to deal with it. You have to deal with it to prevent it from haunting you in the future. Deal with it, absorb the memory, deal with the consequences and move past it. Not all memories can be good but its important to move past and deal with the bad ones. You can never truly forget but you can help yourself feel better about the situation. You're gaining experience, you're becoming better. Be brave and courageous enough to deal with the situation and face the consequences.

If you tend to have flashbacks about shameful situations from the past, it may be helpful to keep a journal in which you record happy or positive events as well. Anytime you remember a negative memory, try to follow it up with a positive one. In response to flashbacks, you could also have a few phrases that you repeat to yourself, such as "that event does not define me." You could also try to practice mindfulness when memories come back to you. Instead of allowing yourself to become engrossed in the memory, try bringing your attention to something in the present moment such as a sight or smell.

Identify your triggers, and when you consciously recognise it, aim to suppress it. Interrupt the mind's thinking of the bad memories and try your best to occupy yourself during this time. Another option is try practicing mindfulness and try to bring your attention to something else in the present situation. Alternatively, when you think of bad memories, perhaps an option is to record happy thoughts and memories in a journal in order to increase the positivity that you face. If you still struggle, try a cognitive behaviour approach where you question whether anyone else thinks of it like you do.

You forget about the bad memories of your past by acknowledging what happened and dealing with it accordingly. Bad memories from past relationships, bad memories from childhood rejection, or abandonment that you may have faced. You must acknowledge those things but not accept them. You're not defined but your past you must be willing to change your thoughts and not be a victim any longer. Be willing to constantly create new thoughts and focus on that instead of the bad memories from your past. Also, you will never be able to enjoy your present or future without letting go of the past.

As hard as it is, I don't believe that bad memories should be forgotten. I've tried forgetting my past, but all it does is make those memories hurt more. Instead of forgetting my past, I've reflected on it and learned how to turn it into something meaningful. Even in your darkest moments, there is something to gain from it. And as much as reflecting on those horrible times can hurt, it is so incredibly beneficial to be able to find that one lesson in it. When my dad died, I was so certain that it was the worst thing, and that it was a joke to try to take anything away from it. But now, I'm able to understand grief and relate to people that experience it like I do. The past is hard, but I find comfort in those lessons.

Well, I don’t think you can forget. Although with time it will fade on its own. When something traumatic has happened it is easy to fixate on it and constantly think about it. What has helped me was going back to that specific memory and thinking of everything that I felt then going through and finding the opposites! So If I felt sad I will find where I felt happy in that same memory. It helps you to rewrite your brain. Perception is everything. If you can find the positives of a trauma then you can change that bad memory to something good and then it can no longer effect you negatively and it releases you from living in your past.

Try not to associate any activities that trigger those bad thoughts or experience memories that your talking about stay clear of those dreadful painful things we have all been there make new positive memories that will over time replace those bad thoughts and memories you keep this up and your on the right road to recovery to quit abcessing about the past bad experiences that your thinking of try some spiritual techniques do some research find your triggers that’s the main thing you must do to begin the path of resolve and recovery my friend take it easy think solutions