How To Forget Your Problems -The Absurd Guide To Letting Go
How To Forget Your Problems — The Absurd Guide to Letting Go
This essay is for anyone who keeps replaying the worst scenes of their life like a glitchy movie. It's for people who want to stop carrying yesterday in their pockets like loose coins. We will combine clinical evidence (mindfulness, CBT) with a philosophy you already love: absurdity — use the ridiculous to break patterns that are fiercely, efficiently serious.
Key sources for the research claims you'll read below include the World Health Organization's review of global mental health burden and several meta-analyses on mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. These sources show that scalable approaches can reduce rumination, anxiety and depressive symptoms. 1
Why forgetting problems matters (and what 'forget' actually means)
When people say they want to "forget" a problem, they typically mean one of three things:
- Stop the constant mental replay (reduce rumination).
- Stop reacting to the memory with overwhelming emotion (emotion regulation).
- Move from problem-obsession to productive action (behavioral change).
We aren't arguing for lobotomy. Memory is a feature. The goal is to change the frequency, intensity, and consequences of the memory so it stops running your life.
The real scale of the problem
Mental health conditions affect a huge portion of the world’s population — more than a billion people live with mental health disorders globally, and many of these problems manifest as chronic worry, anxiety, and rumination, which make "forgetting" seem impossible. Evidence-based and accessible strategies exist, but they need scaling and practice. 2
Bottom line: you're not alone, and the problem is solvable — or at least manageable. Let's get to work.
Core tools that actually help (backed by evidence)
1) Cognitive Behavioral Techniques (CBT) — reprogram the loop
CBT teaches you to spot and reframe the thought-habits that feed rumination. Instead of being a passive audience of your thoughts, you become the director. Meta-analyses demonstrate CBT's effectiveness across depression and anxiety, often outperforming or matching medication in long-term results. 3
"You can change the story you're telling yourself." — practical CBT mantra
Practical CBT moves you through steps: identify the automatic thought, test its evidence, generate alternative explanations, and decide on an action. The action step matters — thought without behavior is rehearsal, not change.
2) Mindfulness & Attention Training — retrain where your brain points
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), including MBSR and MBCT, reduce rumination and improve emotional regulation. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses show short-term improvements in stress, burnout, and some measures of depression — especially when programs are practiced consistently. 4
Try this micro-practice: the 3-minute anchor. Sit, close your eyes, take three slow breaths, name three sensations (feet, breath, sound), then take one small, deliberate action (stand, stretch, sip water). Repeat when the loop begins.
3) Behavioral design — move first, feel better later
Sometimes the most effective way to quiet thinking is to create unstoppable forward motion. Small, repeatable behaviors (a ten-minute walk after stress, a weekly "problem hour," or a two-minute clean-up ritual) are low-friction, low-fuss commitments your future self will thank you for.
4) Social strategies — share, calibrate, receive perspective
Sometimes forgetting is social. Talk to someone who can give perspective, or narrate your problem to an audience that won't replay it for you. Groups, mentors, or a therapist are ways to externalize and normalize a problem so it loses its private power.
The philosophy of absurdity: why being ridiculous is a strategy
Absurdity loosens seriousness. When you intentionally add a ridiculous element to a serious routine, your brain drops its high-alert posture and lets empathy, perspective and humor through. Absurdity is a lever — destabilize the expected reaction so the problem loses its hold.
Examples:
- Wear the "problem hat" — a silly hat you put on for 10 minutes to externalize the issue (then remove it and move on).
- Write the problem as a children's bedtime story in three sentences, with a goofy villain and goofy resolution.
- Record a 30-second mock commercial selling your problem as if it were a product — with over-the-top advertising claims.
These tactics work because they change the *frame* around the memory. When your mind re-encodes the event inside a new, non-threatening frame (absurd, small, comical), the emotional intensity often reduces.
Real-life examples (short case studies)
Case 1 — The overworked manager
Ruth is a mid-level manager who replayed a public mistake for weeks. She learned a CBT technique: write the worst-case thought (I ruined everything), list objective evidence for and against it, and create a repair action. She also used the problem hat for 10 minutes each evening to "park" the worry. Within four weeks, the frequency of intrusive memories fell from daily to twice a week.
Case 2 — The student with exam trauma
Jae failed a big exam and replayed every second. Using mindfulness daily for 12 minutes, plus a "fast action" of re-taking one similar low-stakes quiz each week, the emotional charge around the memory subsided. The combination of exposure (small quizzes) and attention retraining (mindfulness) rewired expectation and reduced avoidance.
Case 3 — The entrepreneur who couldn't stop ruminating
Daniel was haunted by a failed partnership. He applied absurdity: he created a fake 'memorial plaque' for the partnership and ceremonially read a hilarious eulogy. The ceremony freed him to draft a five-point plan for new partnerships. Absurdity created release and catalyzed action.
Quotations that matter — real words to use as tools
"People don't buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it."
Use Sinek's lens on your inner story. What's the "why" behind your worrying? Often the 'why' is a desire for safety, control, or belonging. Naming that helps you respond more effectively. 5
"Hope is not a strategy."
This blunt line reminds us that mourning or wishing alone doesn't move us. Pair hope with a micro-plan — and then act. 6
Science notes: what the literature actually says
Here are the key evidence takeaways you can trust:
- Global burden: Mental health issues are widespread — more than a billion people worldwide live with disorders that include anxiety and depression; the need to scale accessible interventions is urgent. 7
- Mindfulness: Multiple randomized trials and meta-analyses report that mindfulness-based programs reduce rumination, stress, and burnout in the short term, particularly when practice is consistent. 8
- CBT: Cognitive behavioral therapy is a heavily researched, evidence-based approach that reduces depressive and anxious symptoms; meta-analyses show robust improvements and long-term benefits for many people. 9
- U.S. prevalence: In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 adults experienced mental illness in recent years; improved access and early intervention are critical. 10
Practical 30-day 'forget your problems' plan (doable, absurd-friendly)
Follow this four-week plan. It's compact, evidence-informed, and injects absurdity as a lever for change.
Week 1 — Audit & Interrupt
- Daily: 3-minute anchor (mindfulness) morning and evening.
- Pick a single recurring thought and write it down — give it a 1–line name (e.g., "The Blame Loop").
- Interrupt ritual: when the thought starts, do a 30-second physical action (push-ups, dance move, wear your problem hat).
Week 2 — Reframe & Replace
- CBT practice: write evidence for and against the thought, create a kinder alternative thought.
- Action: schedule one small behavior that counters avoidance (call someone, send a short email, apply to one job).
Week 3 — Exposure & Action
- Deliberate exposure: approach the mild part of the fear (recreate a low-stakes version of the scene).
- Absurd ceremony: invent a short ritual that marks the memory as "past" (a mock funeral, a satirical award ceremony).
Week 4 — Socialize & Sustain
- Tell your story to a trusted person, or a support group. Rehearsing the story in a safe space reduces its private power.
- Create a maintenance plan: a weekly 10-minute review to notice progress and tweak habits.
When to seek professional help
If memories or rumination cause suicidal thinking, severe impairment, or you feel unable to function, seek immediate professional help. If you have persistent symptoms despite self-help, find a licensed therapist for evidence-based therapy (CBT, ACT, trauma-focused therapy). These are not failures — they're the right tools for the job.
Tools & links — curated
- World Health Organization — global mental health resources and data. 11
- NAMI — Mental Health By the Numbers — U.S. prevalence and resources. 12
- PubMed — search for CBT & mindfulness meta-analyses (good starting points: Hofmann et al., Cuijpers et al.). 13
- The MarketWorth Group — Facebook (my page). 14
- MarketWorth1 — Blog (inbound)
How to use absurdity without making things worse
Absurdity is a tool, not an avoidance tactic. Use it to break loops and invite new meaning — not as a way to repress emotions indefinitely. When in doubt: pair an absurd ritual with a concrete, small behavioral repair. For example, after your mock funeral for a failed project, send one follow-up email to one contact you've been avoiding.
How leaders (and people who influence others) should talk about forgetting problems
Leaders can model reframing and the use of small rituals. Simon Sinek teaches the power of "why" — leaders who name the deeper purpose behind work reduce fear and rumination for their teams. Vusi Thembekwayo's blunt reminders (e.g., “Hope is not a strategy”) are a call to pair courage with planning. Use both frames: name the why, then show the steps. 15
Common objections (and short answers)
A: Not if you pair it with action. Reframing + behavioral experiments = targeted change. Absurdity helps reduce emotional reactivity so action can be taken with clearer thinking.
A: Trauma often needs trauma-focused, professional care. Some elements of this guide can assist with basic emotion regulation, but don't substitute for clinical treatment when necessary.
Download the ebook
I've packaged the full How To Forget Your Problems ebook for download. It contains worksheets, the full 30-day plan in printable format, and bonus absurd rituals. Download link: Download the ebook (PDF).
Final note — a tiny absurd exercise
Right now — stop reading for 20 seconds. Stand up. Make a ridiculous face in the mirror, say "Not today, problem!" out loud. Sit down. Notice what changed. If nothing changed, that's okay — try again tomorrow with a slightly sillier face. Small, absurd acts gather into new habits, and habits rewrite how memory matters.
Credits, citations & acknowledgements
This article referenced global mental health reporting and peer-reviewed meta-analyses on mindfulness and CBT. Key references (not exhaustive): WHO reporting on global mental health burden, meta-analyses of mindfulness-based interventions (MBSR/MBCT) and CBT reviews. The MarketWorth Group Facebook page and my blog host the downloadable ebook. 16
📘 Download the eBook — How To Forget Your Problems
This book doesn’t ask you to heal — it invites you to unlearn the need to. Step into the absurd calm of forgetting what was never yours to carry.
🔽 Download eBook (PDF)After reading, share your thoughts — comment below or email your review to macfeighbitange1@gmail.com
© The MarketWorth Group — Where Absurdity Meets Purpose
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Facebook page: The MarketWorth Group. 17
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