From heartache to relief: Forgetting the actual time a person needs

Have you ever tried deleting and restoring photos from your phone over and over again? The way the brain processes emotions is actually more complex, and the person you thought you should have forgotten a long time ago may be having a party at a neural synapse.

1. Forgetting is not a delete key, but an overwrite reinstallation system

1. The eraser for memory has a delay

The hippocampus is like an overly responsible warehouse administrator, packing and storing all emotional memories. Research has found that deliberately suppressing memories can actually make related neural connections more active, just like the behavior of constantly clicking on the "Recently Deleted" album itself reinforces memory.

2. The body has its own timer

The sudden palpitations when smelling a specific perfume and the stomach twitching when hearing a certain melody are all caused by the body memory. Skin cells renew in 28 days, but the neural circuits that form conditioned reflexes may take 3-6 months to weaken sensitivity.

2. Hidden Variables that Affect Forgetting Speed

1. Dopamine Withdrawal Reaction

During the honeymoon period, the amount of dopamine secreted by the brain is comparable to mild addiction, and sudden termination can produce withdrawal like reactions. Usually, it takes 4-8 weeks for the prefrontal cortex to regain control of rational judgment, during which the urge to contact others is a normal physiological phenomenon.

2. Memory Hooks of Social Media

The dynamics of mutual friends and old location photos pushed by algorithms are constantly activating the memory neural network. It is recommended to set a 30 day digital detoxification period and temporarily block information sources that may trigger memories.

3. Neural Remodeling Program for accelerating Release

1. Covering old hard drives with new memories

Try three new experiences every week: taking different routes home, learning unfamiliar cuisine, and attending improvisational drama classes. Novelty experiences stimulate the brain to secrete brain-derived neurotrophic factors, promoting the formation of new neural pathways.

2. Visualize the pain

Write physical letters to unexpressed emotions and crush them, then put the souvenirs in boxes and label them as "museum exhibits in the brain". This sense of ritual can activate the regulatory function of the prefrontal cortex, helping to transform emotional memory into ordinary narrative memory.

3. Clever use of sleep to organize memory

During rapid eye movement sleep, the brain reorganizes memories like organizing computer fragments. 20 minutes of mindfulness breathing before bedtime can improve the efficiency of emotional memory processing during sleep. When you suddenly find yourself able to calmly talk about that memory one day, it means that neural remodeling has been mostly completed. This process is not a countdown, but a healing curve spiraling upwards, where every winter's snow is turning into spring The new sprouts of the sky accumulate strength.