Is There Value in New Experiences? Maybe More Than You Realize…
I worked on college campuses for close to two decades. While doing so in one role I worked closely with the University Police Department. I remember having a conversation with one of the officers at the beginning of an investigation. He explained the necessity of considering multiple options in an investigation. That when you created several narratives, it helped you stay curious and catch things you might have otherwise missed if you only moved down one path. It opens possibilities.
Similarly, for us, the more narratives, or the more experiences we have can open more possibilities for our brain. If you want to stay well or maintain health, you have to be a collector of healthy new experiences.
Lisa Feldman Barrett in her book, How Emotions are Made explores this concept. She defines emotion as “your brain’s creation of what your bodily sensations mean, in relation to what is going on around you in the world.” And introduces the theory of constructed emotion, which states, “every waking moment, your brain uses past experiences, organized as concepts, to guide your actions and give your sensations meaning.”
New experiences create pathways for different actions in the future, different responses, or in a sense create reprogramming.
So, what if you say I am not big into new experiences? New experiences make you feel uneasy or create discomfort. I would encourage you to lean into appropriate stress. The stress that is predictable, moderate, and controllable can lead to a healthy, more flexible stress response capacity. This kind of stress is beneficial and not harmful.
Here are some options for new experiences:
· Read books, fiction to non-fiction, suspense to romance
· Learn new words
· Visit new places
· Try new restaurants
· Talk to different people
· Visualize options
· Walk different routes
· Eat new foods
· Try new activities
The Halos Counseling Team is here to support and encourage you to have new experiences for better health. Reach out to us if you are looking for a therapist in Charlotte or a therapist in Shelby. Schedule a free consult with us to determine if we're a good fit for you.
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Barrett, L. F. (2018). How emotions are made. Pan Books Ltd.