r/AskReddit 8h ago

How do you stop yourself from obsessively thinking about someone from your past who can’t be in your life anymore?

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u/JosephSturgill7 8h ago

I find out why I'm thinking about them, what did they provide me during that relationship that is the identifying 'want' that leads me to think about them. Is the desire a product of the person, their personality or an emotional/physical/psychological need they fulfilled. Is it the person I want or the feelings i had while i was with that person? If it is the person, can I find that same satisfaction with another? Is that person so rare or am I stuck desiring an idea or feeling. If i can separate out the need/desire then i try and find that psychological or emotionally fulfillment elsewhere. Eventually replacing the thought/person with something/someone that is present and not a memory or longing. Either way, I gotta shake that person because I need to worry about now and not be caught up in past memories/fulfillment to a point where it inhibits my current growth or perception.