#22: Ever wanted to Rewrite your Past?
Well here is how you can do it
Dearest,
Hope you are having a fabulous start to the week. Today’s newsletter is going to be about memories. In the past week I have indulged in writing so closely that I feel a new sense of energy surging through me. The past week has also been inexplicably divine.
Vocabulary and the Power of Reconstruction
I was recently working with a mentor and dear friend. During one of those learning sessions I happened to type out “…it reminds me of how I like to think of myself as limitless”
She immediately asked me “Do you consider yourself limitless or is this an aspiration?”
My response was instantaneous. “The former”
Her: “Then let’s rewrite the sentence”
Me: backspace backspace backspace, type “It reminds me of my limitless self.”
***
Our vocabulary plays a significant role in shaping our reality by influencing how we think, perceive, and interact with the world around us. According to the Framing Theory, the words we use can frame our perceptions and experiences.
***
Let’s think about this more scientifically. Neural pathways are like roads in your brain that help different parts communicate with each other. They are made up of neurons (special cells) and synapses (spaces between neurons where signals are passed). When we think, move, or feel something, signals travel along these pathways. The more we use a pathway, the stronger it becomes (this is key!)
***
I once told Daddy “I thrive under pressure.” Before I could even complete my sentence he asked me to reconstruct my sentence “I thrive.” Period.
***
Think of using positive vocabulary as choosing to travel on clear and traffic-free roads (neural pathways). And think of using negative vocabulary as choosing to travel on roads with congestion and potholes. Clearly one is better than the other.
***
Essentially, what I am trying to say is that we have the power to rewire the neural pathways in our brain simply by reconstructing our phrases and replacing some words with others.
A simple sentence correction and a simple word swap is all it takes to notice a “take diversion” sign, to move to a better road, to make the commute smoother.
A smoother road allows you to reach your destination quicker and more hassle free. Using positive vocabulary then is a hack to allow the brain to make decisions more effectively and a magic tool to directly influence your reality.
***
Like our vocabulary, I believe memories can also be rewritten. And that brings me to the next section of this week’s newsletter.
Rewriting Memories
Memories are not static recordings of events. Instead, they are reconstructed each time they are recalled. Which basically means that we hold the power to reconstruct our memories, to influence how we remember our past.
There is a certain malleability to memory. Imagine a mirror on a wall. Now imagine asking a town of people to each look at the mirror and describe what they see. No two people’s descriptions would be identical. Now think of the mirror as our memory reservoir. With every passing moment we as humans evolve, something about us changes. And hence every time we look back into the mirror (our memory reservoir) we see something different.
How is this realisation profound? We can technically rewrite our past by using our present maturity and thoughts. We can rewrite our stories. We can rewrite how we remember things and how we let our memories affect, influence and impact us in the present.
How do I put this into practice?
Let’s say I have an unpleasant memory - I went out for dinner with a group of friends, I felt completely left out, ignored and neglected. I sat through the entire course of the meal quiet, barely eating or enjoying my food.
What I would do is revisit this memory.
If I can then I would physically go to this restaurant again on another day. I would have a meal and ensure I have a good time there. This allows me to quite literally re-write my unpleasant memory by replacing it with a more wholesome memory in the same environment/ set-up.
If I cannot go back to the place physically then I reconstruct my memory of the event simply by replaying it in my mind the way I would have liked for it to have happened. The more I play this reconstructed memory in my mind, the more I strengthen this neural path way, and the more I trick my mind into believing this was what actually happened, this was the memory.
A Bonus section!
Speaking about memories, I wrote a listicle about all things I remember and I loved how it took me down memory lane. I will be sharing a little sneak peek of it below. To those who have subscribed I will be sending out the full version this Wednesday :) Soo go subscribe, what are you waiting for!
I remember Everyday milk powder sachets in hotel rooms
I remember school annual days, dance practice, purple knees, sweaty hair and adrenaline rush
I remember vanilla tea cakes and mayonnaise cucumber sandwiches that my friend would pack in Tupperware lunchboxes
I remember buying Tinkle comics just to search for pages with Supandi and his silliness
I remember the smell of chlorine and coconut oil on skin after swimming classes
(Subscribe to receive the full version!) And that is everything for this week my dearest. Write to me, share what you resonated with!
Before you go!
Something to read: As promised in my recent post, here’s an absolutely delicious travel article on Mangoes in India. Apparently there are over 1500 varieties of Mangoes in India, wow!
Something to listen to: “Enna thavam seithanai” - a song whose lyrics and meaning make me tear up every time I listen to it. Will be having a whole newsletter about this soon!
Something to watch: I watched a movie this weekend after 3 months and really enjoyed it - “The Life List” on Netflix
Something to hold onto: Something that I am learning to adopt; “Rest is respect” ~ Upasana Kamineni Konidela
With warmth and wonder,
Vaishnavi
From the table of Masala Puff Moments, a newsletter.
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wait… drop by and say hi?
I’m Vaishnavi Radhakrishnan, a management trainee in a business that I love, a poet, a writer and a 23 year old figuring out her space in this world. I love buttery masala puffs, admiring bougainvilleas, being by the ocean, and buying jibbitz for my purple crocs.