Coping With Becoming Someone New

Have you ever wondered who you’d be in an alternate universe – the version of you who took the other job, stayed in that city, didn’t cut bangs, or actually followed through with your new year goals? 

This week, we’re talking about the fantasy of becoming a “new you”, and how the 00s makeover montage promised a level of transformation that real life (and the wellness industry) absolutely cannot deliver on. Because somewhere between the slow-motion hair flip and the big reveal, we were sold the idea that upgrading the self is not only possible, but required. 

Join Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson as we unpack the pressure to evolve publicly, the discomfort of outgrowing old versions of ourselves, and the quiet hope that comes with imagining who we might still become. 

Watch: The Plastic Detox

What if you could do it all over? by Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker 

Why we’re drawn to “fresh starts” by Megan A. Neff Psychology Today 

Psychology Today: Definition of neuroplasticity

Buddhanet: definition of Anatta  

Modernity and self-identity by Anthony Giddens

The orphic origins of belief in reincarnation in ancient Greek philosophy by Hasskei Mohammed Majeed 

Britannica: Myths of rebirth and renewal 

Scribalo: The myth of the Pheonix
Get noticed to get ahead: the impact of personal branding on career success, by Sergey Gorbatov, Svetlana N Khapova, Evgenia I Lysova

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