Memories of your past will come to your mind from time to time. The more you try to not think about the past, the more you will think about your past.  Instead of trying to fight your thoughts, acknowledge and then redirect them.  Plan out what you will say to yourself when you have the thought.  If you start to think about the past, then you will do what? If thoughts of your past come to your mind, say to yourself, "It's okay. That was my past, but now I'm focused on _______." Mindfulness will help you focus on the present and have more control over your thoughts. The ability to focus your mind on thoughts of your choice will help you stop dwelling on your past. Practice mindful exercises when you find yourself stuck on your past.  Focusing on your  breath is one of the most common mindfulness exercises. Notice all of the physical sensations as you breath in and out. How does the air feel moving in and out of your nostrils? Your lungs? Notice how your chest rises. Commit to practicing mindfulness everyday. Consistent practice can help improve your mood and reduce the number of negative thoughts you have. If you are unable to stop thinking about your past, try to limit the time you spend on these thoughts. Pick a specific amount of time (e.g. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes) and time of day that you will allow yourself to think about your past. Choose a time of day when you are usually relaxed.  For example, you may allow the thoughts from 5:00 pm -5:20 pm every evening. If you have a thought outside of this time, tell yourself that this is not the time and you will deal with it later. When you dwell on your past, you may have an irrational or distorted view (e.g. "everything is my fault," I'm a bad person," etc.) of what actually happened.  You may begin to accept these thoughts as truth and reality. If you begin to challenge your thoughts when they come, you can develop a more objective view. Ask yourself questions such as:  Is there a more positive way I can look at my situation? Is there evidence that my thought are true? Evidence that my thoughts are false? What would I say to a friend in this situation? Are these thoughts helpful? Is dwelling on the past helping me or hurting me? Instead of telling yourself, "This is too hard, " tell yourself, "I can try to do this," or "Let me attack this from a different angle."
أعِد توجيه أفكارك. مارس تمارين اليقظة. ضع حدًا زمنيًا لأفكارك. تحدَّ أفكارك.