*|FNAME|*, I read a few days ago —but can’t find it now— about how this current Coronavirus Clampdown is going affect our perceptions of this past summer due to time compression.
The idea is an off-shoot of the “peak-end rule:” we generally remember the peaks of an experience (the most emotional –usually positive– parts), and we generally remember how something ends.
Everything else —all the other time spent— gets compressed into a memory, sure… but without novelty to stand out, the details of that time are lost.
Over the summer of 2020, we’ve spent our time in the same home, with the same people, looking at the same desk and computer screen.
The emotional peaks are few and far between: no concerts to see, no new restaurants to try, no crowded beach time, no flights to an exotic destination. Maybe not even a chance to go into work, which may be a novelty at this point.
But you can create emotional peaks in your daily life, if you are willing to do so.
To build up the spice in your life, here are a few ways to add variety to increase your enjoyment (today) and memories (for the future):
- Books, of course! Find books that challenge your worldview, deepen your understanding of a topic, or provide pleasure while you read.
- Seek out new foods or recipes.
- Start a new hobby or project. If you’re unsure how to accomplish something, there’s almost always a YouTube video to help.
- Reconnect with old friends, or reach out to new people that you’d like to befriend.
- Create something: write paper letters, write a book, write a song, build a shed, tinker with your inventions.
- Improve your neighborhood, clean up the local walking trails, plant a garden (heads up — plant your garlic bulbs in October to harvest next July)
- Start a gratitude journal, writing down the good parts of each day. As time passes, you’ll have a huge list of the good things that have happened in your life.
The Coronavirus Clampdown has no known end in sight. In 5 years you might look back to say, “wow that was a weird year — what happened?“
Or you might be the one to say, “I know what happened! X, Y, and Z — because I wanted them to happen!“