Sometimes bad memories can overwhelm our thoughts and make it difficult to focus on what's happening in the present. How much time do you spend thinking about bad memories? Do the memories pop into your mind when you're trying to focus on other things?  Focusing on bad memories, or ruminating, can hurt your problem-solving skills. For example, you may feel helpless in the face of a work-related hurdle instead of tackling the problem head-on. Ruminating can also lead to unhealthy behaviors like binge drinking or other forms of self medication intended to stop the negative thoughts.  Ruminating on bad memories leads to negative thinking patterns associated with depression and anxiety. If your memories are associated with a certain person, you may find it difficult to spend time with him or her without thinking about what happened in the past. Bad memories can interfere with your other relationships, too. Ruminating on the past can make you feel isolated from others. Thinking about bad memories can also inhibit your ability to forge new connections with people. For example, if you are overwhelmed with bad memories about a breakup, you may not feel open to meeting someone new. Everyone thinks about the past to a certain extent, but dwelling there too often can impede your sense of hope for the future. If you spend time reliving experiences that already happened, you have less energy to think about what's happening now, and what will happen next.  Repetitive bad memories, especially traumatic ones, can create a sense of hopelessness and make it difficult to feel optimistic. You may feel that since something bad already happened, it is bound to happen again.  This can affect your ability to take good care of yourself and make plans for your own future. Mindfulness is a practice used to switch focus to the present moment, and research shows it can help relieve anxiety. With mindfulness, you acknowledge the bad memories as they come up, then mindfully choose to switch your focus to the present. In this way you can interrupt the negative thought process.  To practice mindfulness, try focusing on physical sensations you feel in the present moment. Notice the temperature of the air or the pressure of your feet against the ground. Focus on the physical feelings until you're able to stop thinking about the bad memories. You can also practice mindfulness by repeating a positive statement to yourself. Try telling yourself, "I don’t have to think about that right now."
اكتشف كيف تؤثر الذكريات على قيامك بوظائفك اليومية. لاحظ إن كان الغرق في الذكريات السيئة يؤثر على علاقاتك بالآخرين. فكر إن كان تفكيرك في الماضي يؤثر على قدرتك على التفكير في المستقبل. مارس الحضور الذهني لتتخلص من القلق الذي تتسبب به الذكريات السيئة.