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I would like to know which one here is correct.

If you want to move on, then stop thinking of things that remind you of him.

If you want to move on, then stop thinking about things that remind you of him.

Context: My friend broke up with her boyfriend and while I was trying to comfort her, I said "If you want to forget him, then stop thinking of things that remind you of him."

This left me wondering: Is "Thinking of" the correct choice here?

I've already seen similar discussions about this topic. However, in my context, I am still unsure which one to use.

Is there a difference in meaning between the two in the given context? If so, I would like to know it.

I hope someone can help me. Thanks in advance!

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The basic difference is that think of means bring to mind, whereas think about means meditate on.

Think of can be both intentional and unintentional. In both cases the term describes the point at which the memory comes to mind.

  1. I was driving to work when our favourite song started playing on the radio. It made me think of my first date with my wife. (unintentional)
  2. We were planning a holiday, so we looked through the tourist guide, trying to think of special activities to do. (intentional)

Think about suggests a period of thinking, rather than the moment you started thinking.

  1. I was driving to work when our favourite song started playing on the radio. For the rest of the trip I found myself thinking about how much I loved my wife.
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    @Ground1 So, to apply that to this context: it might be unreasonable to say "don't think of things that remind you," since they might pop into your head involuntarily. But "don't think about them" is reasonable: if they do pop into your head, don't dwell on them.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Jul 29 at 14:57
  • To think of is often equivalent to think up, as in You waste time and creative energies thinking up excuses.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jul 31 at 23:19
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Both examples can be used.

There’s a slight difference. Sometimes think of can describe a situation where ideas or images just appear, but think about is not used in that sense. To think about something, we need a more elaborate thought process.

Hence the second example should be a more useful piece of advice; things that require more effort should be more controllable compared to things that sometimes come suddenly. For example, even a song on the radio can make a person think of some past events although he or she can still try not to think about that.

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