The Psychology of your 20s 304. Why we grieve past versions of ourselves?
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Jun 12, 2025 Personal growth often comes with a quiet loss as we grieve past versions of ourselves. The podcast explores how nostalgia and disenfranchised grief impact our evolving identities. It questions why we romanticize our past and confronts the emotional complexities of personal change. Strategies for integrating our former selves and embracing growth are discussed, alongside the effects of social media on our self-perception. Ultimately, listeners are encouraged to acknowledge their past while celebrating the present and future.
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The Complexity of Grieving Past Selves
- Grieving a past version of yourself is complex because those identities live on in memories but are inaccessible now.
- Nostalgia mixes warmth with a painful longing for lost possibilities and experiences.
Jemma’s College Dorm Visit
- Jemma revisited her old college dorm and expected sadness but felt grateful for no longer being there.
- That visit reminded her of the struggles she had then, which she previously forgot amid nostalgia.
Social Media Freezes Past Selves
- Social media immortalizes past versions of us, making it harder to move on.
- We compare our complex present self to curated, highlight-reel versions of past selves online.
