WEBVTT - Dwell in the past

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to take a little time to dwell

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<v Speaker 1>in the past. This phrase often has a negative connotation,

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<v Speaker 1>but it doesn't mean to Consciously recreating pleasant memories can

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<v Speaker 1>make life in general feel rich and full. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>gotten together with old friends recently, you know that it's

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<v Speaker 1>fun to catch up on life and chat as if

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<v Speaker 1>you have never been apart. But one of the major

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<v Speaker 1>reasons such experiences are so pleasant is that we and

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<v Speaker 1>our old friends share a lot of history. Together. We

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<v Speaker 1>talk about that history and conjure up that history, so

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<v Speaker 1>of the positive feelings of those initial experiences get reflected

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<v Speaker 1>in the current moment. Life in general can always be

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<v Speaker 1>a bit oh hum. Getting together with people from past

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<v Speaker 1>peak experiences allows us to experience a little bit of

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<v Speaker 1>that joy even on an average weekend. Dwelling in the

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<v Speaker 1>past for a little bit lets us enjoy the present more.

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<v Speaker 1>But getting together with friends or other folks like cousins

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<v Speaker 1>isn't the only way to bring up good moments from

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<v Speaker 1>the past. You can take other actions too. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>you probably have some old photo albums sitting on a

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<v Speaker 1>shelf somewhere. They may be gathering dust. If you've got

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<v Speaker 1>an open fifteen minutes or so, you can wipe off

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<v Speaker 1>some of that dust. Choose a period of time that

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<v Speaker 1>you still feel positively about. For instance, if your marriage

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<v Speaker 1>is still in a good state, you could look at

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<v Speaker 1>your honeymoon album, pull it out. Recall gazing into each

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<v Speaker 1>other's eyes on the beach, or how you spend hours

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<v Speaker 1>sitting at a little cafe, or whatever it is you did.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't you feel better about life now? Don't you feel

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<v Speaker 1>better about your spouse now? You are dwelling in the

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<v Speaker 1>past and it is making you glow in the present.

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<v Speaker 1>Songs can also immediately conjure up memories. Maybe you listen

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<v Speaker 1>to a particular song over and over again on a

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<v Speaker 1>trip you took as a young adult. You loved learning

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<v Speaker 1>about the world, and that song feels like possibility. Why

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<v Speaker 1>not listen to it right now? You'll find yourself smiling.

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<v Speaker 1>Even sense can bring back memories. If you've got great

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<v Speaker 1>memories of let's say, dinner at your grandmother's house, make

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<v Speaker 1>her recipes. The smell of her pot roast will transport

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<v Speaker 1>you to childhood and sitting round her table plant lilacs.

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<v Speaker 1>If you remember how they grew in the garden near

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<v Speaker 1>where you went to camp, and summer camp was the

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<v Speaker 1>highlight of your year. You can consciously use these artifacts

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<v Speaker 1>to bring back chosen memories. Now, of course, the keyword

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<v Speaker 1>here is chosen. Probably most of us have negative memories

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<v Speaker 1>from past times that we already spend too much time

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<v Speaker 1>dwelling on regret shame. Who knows memory can be a

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<v Speaker 1>tricky place, but you probably can't forget those memories. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>you can train your brain to consciously think about other ones.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the reason. To identify times in your past that

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<v Speaker 1>you know felt positive. Then you can think about exactly

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<v Speaker 1>which people or pictures or songs or smells will bring

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<v Speaker 1>these times to the forefront of your brain. You can

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<v Speaker 1>write about memories in a journal to focus the experience.

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<v Speaker 1>This can keep your mind from wandering and help bring

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<v Speaker 1>back more details as you reflect. We sometimes speak disparagingly

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<v Speaker 1>of people who dwell in the past, say the middle

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<v Speaker 1>aged person who can't stop talking about his high school

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<v Speaker 1>sports experience, or maybe an empty nester who can't seem

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<v Speaker 1>to move on from those days of intense child raising.

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<v Speaker 1>We do have to keep living our lives and making

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<v Speaker 1>new memories now. But there is no reason that old

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<v Speaker 1>and new memories can't weave to gather to make a

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<v Speaker 1>lovely tapestry. You get together with your old high school

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<v Speaker 1>sports team, but you also go camping with them and

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<v Speaker 1>their children and build new experiences together. We can dwell

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<v Speaker 1>in the past and the present and have a richer

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<v Speaker 1>mental life in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the moose of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>idea