We are not always very good at remembering things, since even walking through a door makes us forget why we entered the room. But somehow, some events that we would like to forget are forever etched in our minds and it is impossible to get rid of them. This is what makes our door memory loss even more unfair.
Even in the 21st century, there are still many things that scientists cannot explain about the work of our minds. There is no pill that can save us from a bad memory or a 100% “forgetting” strategy that works 100% of the time, but we have researched and compiled several techniques that can help you.
How Do You Trick Your Brain To Forget Something?
Tip 1: Repeatedly Stop Yourself From Thinking About It
If you want to remember your mother’s phone number, you will probably repeat it over and over again to keep it in your memory. The forgetting technique works just the opposite: whenever the memory comes to mind, throw it away.
You can also force yourself to think about something else so as not to return to the memory that you do not want to remember. If you do this often enough, you are likely to lose your memory one day.
Tip 2: Change The Context
By thinking about your bad memory, you can probably recall a lot of details like where it happened, how old you were, what you were wearing, or who you were with, basically the context of the situation.
Researchers have found that any memory is linked to the context of the experience, and context helps us remember it. So if you want to forget about that, you have to change the context.
Try adding some controversial new details that didn’t really happen, and start thinking about the situation under different conditions. In the end, it will confuse your mind so much that it will knock the memory out of your head.
Tip 3: Make A Stronger Memory
This trick will only work if you do it right after experiencing something you want to forget. After something happened that you don’t want to remember, you need to do something you can remember about that moment, and it needs to be stronger.
For example, if you’ve had a weird conversation with your former friend, you can go shopping for something you’ve been wanting for a long time, go to an amusement park, or just hug a loved one, as physical contact has a positive effect on mental health.
And of course, while you’re distracted, you shouldn’t think about what happened, otherwise you’ll make it harder to forget by providing additional context.
Tip 4: Distract Your Mind With A Positive Aspect
Whenever a bad memory comes to mind, try to recall something similar that was really positive to replace a bad memory with a good one. For example, if you said something stupid to your friends and you would like to forget about that moment, remember some situations in which you said something very clever or witty.
Do this every time you recall a memory that you want to forget, and you will eventually remember it for the last time.
Tip 5: Change The Perspective
Sometimes we think too much and worry about something that we shouldn’t. Our emotions are what prevent us from forgetting our memory, so the key here is to stop getting excited about the situation.
Analyze your memory and try to think about it from a different perspective. Maybe nothing bad happened or maybe it led to something good.
If you can’t convince yourself and need someone else’s opinion, tell someone about the memory. Perhaps the person’s reaction will assure you that you have been overthinking things and that your emotionality fades, allowing the memory to fade as well.
If you could do anything, what would you do to have the strongest memory of all time? Share your crazy dreams with us!