Or is it more of a way to stop these thoughts from invading your mind and overwhelming you?

I've always had problems dealing with past events and just letting them go, but a recent event is causing a lot of trouble. It's been a month now since it happened and ripped open old wounds I've successfully dealt with before (well not really I guess now). It hasn't gotten any better within this month, seemingly even worse and by now has gotten to a point where it's on my mind whenever I'm not doing something I have to be 100% focused on - so things like reading, workout, TV, listening to music,.... won't work. It's starting to taking it's toll on me and affecting my life. I'm paralyzed, unfocused, unmotivated and I'm scared it'll get worse.

So I'm looking for a way to deal with these thoughts. I know I should get professional help for the underlying problem of not being able to let go of the past. But for now I need to find a way to deal with this and stop these thoughts from dragging me down.

I've thought about meditation but I'm unsure if it's a suitable method for what I'm wanting to achieve. Also I'd unsure if I can learn it on my own by reading articles or watching videos or if I need to find an actual teacher.

Any help appreciated.