How to Get Someone Off Your Mind in 3 Easy Stages
You can’t stop thinking about them. Every song you hear, every place you go, they’re always on your mind.
They’ve left a lasting impression on you, and you’re struggling to get them off your mind. We’ve all been there at some point in our lives, it’s a normal part of the human experience.
But how do you overcome this fixation and move on?
In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons why we get fixated on someone, the challenges of removing them from our minds, and most importantly, the 3 stages and steps you can take to overcome this emotional turmoil.
Stage 1: Meditation
The first step to overcoming someone on your mind is to find peace within yourself. Meditation allows you to take control of your thoughts and emotions, creating a routine around it will bring you comfort.
Of course, it takes practice to master, but once you do, you can use it in all aspects of your life. The practice of mindfulness, visualization, concentration, and deep breathing are techniques that help calm your mind.
It can be particularly helpful to visualize a safe space like a beach or a forest and focus on your breathing while in your headspace helps to alleviate stress.
Stage 2: Avoidance
The next step is to avoid exposure to the person or situations associated with them.
This may be difficult, but it’s a crucial step in getting over them. Cut off all communication and stay away from places you may bump into them.
If you attend the same gym or go to the same coffee shop, try to find a new location.
Negative association means to view the person or the situation as an unpleasant thing, in this case, associate them with everything that brings you negativity.
For example, when you hear their name, associate it with something negative so that you reframe your thoughts about them. Furthermore, proximity reduction helps avoid involuntary triggers; changing your routine or habits may eliminate running into them, making it easier to move on.
Lastly, it’s important to accept the situation even if it hurts. Knowing that the past is the past allows you to move forward.
Often, unwanted thoughts will still pop up, even when we try to avoid them. Don’t analyze them, instead, confront them.
Acknowledge them and let them go. It’s tough and takes time, but it is essential to remove them from your thoughts.
Once you’ve defeated the analytical process and accepted it, the thoughts will slowly become less frequent.
Stage 3: Transference
Transference is the act of transferring your thoughts and energy to other activities in your life.
Find alternative interests or hobbies that will make you happy. Engage yourself in puzzles, projects, and other mental challenges that will occupy your thoughts.
Revisiting happy memories with friends or family is a good way to bring back positive energy into your life. It’s important to maintain positive energy and growth through personal goals and progress.
Focusing on different areas of your life that make you happy is a stepping stone towards overcoming someone on our minds.
Final Thoughts
It’s incredibly challenging to move on from something that was once an integral part of your life. However, by following these steps, you can start to take control of your thoughts, and you will begin to let go of that person.
It’s a process, and it takes time, but it’s important to keep moving forward and not get stuck in the past. Remember, in the end, you’ll be a stronger person for it.
Can You Ever Remove Someone From Your Mind Completely?
It’s been months, maybe even years, since the end of your relationship, but you can’t seem to shake them from your thoughts.
You’ve gone through the stages and steps, but they linger on, refusing to leave your mind. It’s natural to wonder if there are extreme measures one could take to eliminate these painful thoughts permanently.
Possibilities for Removing Someone from Your Mind
There have been some studies suggesting that physical brain damage can potentially remove memories of people or events. However, damaging the brain in any way is not a feasible or recommended solution.
Slighter less invasive is the use of medical hypnosis, also known as hypnotherapy. Hypnosis can be an effective tool in accessing the subconscious mind, allowing us to reprioritize thoughts.
For some individuals, hypnotherapy has been highly successful in alleviating anxiety or posttraumatic stress. Yet for others, it may not be the right path or effective to eliminating the person from your mind.
Moreover, both physical brain damage and hypnosis have potential long-term consequences, and are not guaranteed to provide the results you’re seeking.
Likelihood of Ceasing Painful Thoughts with Proper Techniques
Although there is no magical solution to completely erase someone from your memory, there are effective techniques to reduce the intensity and frequency of those painful thoughts. The likelihood of removing someone from our mind centres largely on each individual case and how open they are willing to be to trying new approaches to overcome the issue.
Taking a confrontational approach is one way to alleviate or release the pent-up emotions that are clouding your mind. By acknowledging that the thoughts are present and addressing them head-on, you gain an opportunity to confront them with clarity.
Work with a trained professional or trusted confidant to express your feelings. This approach does two things, it gives you permission to express your feelings without judgment from external sources, and the other is that it allows you to have a support system that is aware of your intentions to move towards the future.
Additionally, focusing on the positive memories, traits, and experiences with someone can bring on positive associations. Instead of forcing yourself to forget them completely, acknowledge what brought you happiness and focus on that.
For example, instead of saying “I need to forget them,” try to rephrase it to “I choose to remember the things I loved about them, and appreciate the positive experiences we shared, but now it is time for me to move on and work on my own growth.”
Energy transfer and acceptance can play a crucial role in how you direct your thoughts and emotions. By transferring your energy from the situation or person to a new project or hobby, you allow yourself to distract by occupying your time and thoughts with new experiences.
Be it cooking, travelling, art, exercise, or learning a new language. Its important also to recognize that memories cannot be erased, but with time and patience, it will become easier to accept that the past cannot be changed, but the future can and will change.
Mindfulness, which is essentially the ability to observe and be present with your thoughts and emotions, allows you to manage them instead of allowing them to manage you. Cultivating mindfulness through practices such as meditation or journaling can help in regulating the painful thoughts and emotions that come with having someone on your mind.
Final Thoughts
While it would be nice to have the ability to remove someone from your mind completely, it’s not a realistic or attainable goal. Recognizing that you may not be able to get rid of all memories and emotions about the person is important.
However, it is possible to regulate them and how they affect our everyday life. With the right techniques, mindset, and support, you can overcome someone on your mind and be in control of your thoughts.
It’s a process, but one that is well worth it. Getting someone off your mind isn’t easy, and it takes time and effort.
However, it’s an essential step in moving forward and taking control of your life. While there may not be a perfect solution to completely erase someone from your memory, recognizing the reasons and challenges of why you are fixated on them, and employing the proper techniques, which includes meditation, avoidance, and transferring your energy to other activities, can help in managing your thoughts and emotions.
Whether it’s allowing yourself to confront uncomfortable feelings, refocusing on positive memories, or practising mindfulness, there are methods to move past someone and find inner peace. Don’t give up; stay determined and focused on your goals, and in the end, you’ll realise just how much stronger you have become through this process.
