How can I not think about things I don’t want to think about?

This topic has been on my mind for several days. I have been thinking about whether it is possible to completely avoid thinking about something that I don’t want to think about. If I don’t want to think about something, I have to think about it to make sure I am not thinking about it. The act of suppressing something can thereby strengthen it. A similar problem arises when I am physically hurt and I don’t want to focus on the pain, but I have to focus on the pain to make sure I am not focusing on it. <br><br>Currently, it seems to me that thinking cannot be avoided. The more I try to suppress something, the more I have to focus my attention on it in order to suppress it, and the more I have to think about it. I would be interested in counterarguments or literature recommendations on the subject.