I often wonder the same thing...how to get rid of thoughts, in some cases memories, that bring about so much pain on a day-to-day basis. I have felt deep despair more than I thought possible before I had my first bout with depression and anxiety.

I went to my first depression support group last night and someone told me that any progress we can expect will take patience and will happen in incremental steps. I've been carrying that thought with me all day, mostly because the very idea of progress sometimes feels foreign to me. But I don't feel despair every day. Or at least I don't feel that way right now.