Saturday, June 3, 2017

Interview yourself

A friend noticed that she had her weight in mind much of the time, even though she doesn't have a weight problem.  She wrote,"Since it is on my mind so much, maybe I do have a weight problem."  Every now and then, it is helpful to follow that pattern and notice what you have in mind much of the time.

 

Money?  Food?  Health?  Our minds are associative and are capable of associating nearly anything with anything else.  If, like my friend, you start to wonder what it is about your mother-in-law or the mayor or the music of Vivaldi that gets your mind on that subject so much, it can be fun, profitable and interesting to interview yourself.  If you are over 60 and on reasonably good terms with yourself, you may want to take a moment to get paper and pen.  My experience is such that your mind can throw ideas and impressions at you so fast that it is quite handy to have the tools for making a few notes during your self-interview.

 

The reason is that some people's minds know that certain subjects and revelations and admissions are blocked, forbidden.  No need to get too deep but if you are always been a bit afraid of the mayor, your mind can see that feeling and arrange for you to think about the mayor in more distant terms and never let you get around to admitting he is a little scary.  

 

As you get to higher ages, like 60 or so, you may be in a position to calmly and privately admit that some topics, some people or some associations make you nervous or on edge. It is possible that turning those over in the privacy of your mind will reveal unexpected feelings or ideas.  One or two of them may be the inspiration for a new activity or a new friendship or more explicit avoidance of a person or an obligation.

 

Just like the whole internet, your mind and your thoughts and your memories are too big to know in their entirety or even to observe all at once.  You can't see the whole thing.  To complicate matters further, you are changing all the time.  So an opinion you have held for decades may no longer fit the current you.  Interviewing yourself and noticing what you think and do, as well as what appeals to you now as activities and associates can turn up some surprising new angles.

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