No, it’s not literally a delete button but if you need a fresh start in a specific area perhaps putting your mind to use properly can help. Well, when it comes to this kind of thing the more you work at it the better your skills will become.
Our brains already so something called synaptic pruning which is basically breaking down extra neurons and synaptic connections in order to produce a more efficient transmission and is something that helps shape who we are. It sculpts our brain from adolescent to adult and weeds out weak neural connections as we grow. It is also important to note that glial cells destroy and remove these dead neurons once the connection has disappeared. Now, you’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with the ‘delete’ button in our minds, right? Well, our brains are deleting things while we’re asleep and no we can’t pick and choose what gets deleted as a whole, but we can help to influence these things on some levels. The point of making all of this known is to remind you all that your brain is powerful and constantly working on different things, it can do so much more than you ever imagined.
Helping your brain choose what things to get rid of and what things to keep can be done through being more mindful. Yes, the key to all of this is being mindful. Keep an eye on your thoughts and stop using things (thinking about things) that you’re not interested in keeping within your own mind. This all within reason but if you cannot change something being able to take your mind off of it will in time help you to forget it or perhaps at least the feelings associated with it.
While there will be reminders of the things you want to forget, changing your focus and remaining adamant about keeping these things off of your mind will help you to forget them in the long-run. Making specific things less prominent in your mind is a lot easier than you might expect it to be and even if it doesn’t actually get deleted it won’t be able to bother you as much if it’s not as on your mind as it normally would be.
Mindfulness can help us all in enormous ways and being in the present moment is the best means of getting your mind off of the things that are bringing you down. Because bad memories tend to be much more vivid and prominent in our minds overcoming them is something we all must do at some point in our lives. While some people try to implant false memories or change their context those things don’t work for everyone and if you’ve tried then perhaps this is your next step.
The more you’re sleeping well and the less you’re allowing yourself to obsess over the things you wish to forget the more you will grow and progress in life. You spend too much time thinking about things you have no control over isn’t getting you anywhere. For more information on all of this please check out the video below.
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251655.php#changing_contexts
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20803-brains-synaptic-pruning-continues-into-your-20s/