The taste of our grandmother’s famous pickle or the sound of a familiar song takes us back to a time of carefree days and endless possibilities. But did you know that some of our best childhood memories could impact our overall health and wellbeing? Indeed, childhood memories can have a deep impact on our mental health. Especially positive memories have the power to provide comfort and resilience; these memories can shape our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours as adults.
They can help us understand how we view the world and how we cope with difficult situations. By understanding the power of positive childhood memories, we can better understand ourselves and learn how to manage our mental health in a positive manner. Join Soulveda as we delve into the power of childhood memories and their impact on our mental health.
What are memories?
Memories are the mental representations of past events or experiences stored and retained in our brain. Memories can either be explicit or implicit. Explicit memories are conscious and intentional recollections of past events, while implicit memories are unconscious and unintentional recollections of past experiences that influence a person’s behaviour or responses.
Memories are an essential part of human life, as they help us to learn from our experiences, make decisions and create a sense of identity and self-awareness. Positive and negative memories can be influenced by emotions, context and other factors and they can deeply impact a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Our subconscious state of mind
Scientific research has uncovered insights into our childhood years and how they influence who we become as adults. One of the fascinating discoveries was made by taking a closer look at the brain wave patterns of young children. It was found that newborn children function at a level below ‘consciousness’.
During the first two years of a newborn’s life, the brain functions at a delta level, the lowest level of brain wave activity. From ages two to six, a child begins to function at a ‘theta’ level. This simply means that children during the early years of their lives, are in a constant state of hypnosis. They are not capable of analysing incoming information and simply accept it.
What is the link between childhood memories and health?
It’s no secret that positive emotions can significantly impact our physical health and wellbeing. But did you know that these emotions can also have a lasting effect on our mental health? A recent study has shown that our favourite childhood memories can help improve our mental and emotional health as we age.
A study by researchers in Australia followed a group of adults over 30 years. The participants were asked to rate their current level of happiness, as well as recall any positive experiences from their childhood. The researchers then compared these results with the participants’ self-reported health and wellbeing later in life. They found that those who reported having happy childhood memories were more likely to experience higher levels of wellbeing as they aged. The effects of positive emotions were even more pronounced than the effects of negative emotions. This suggests that happy memories can have a long-lasting impact on our health and wellbeing.
So what does this mean for us? It’s important to remember that our childhood experiences can shape our adult lives in more ways than we may realize. If we want to promote mental and emotional health in ageing adults, we must focus on creating positive experiences during childhood. Things like spending time with loved ones, exploring new things and simply enjoying life can make a lasting impact on our wellbeing.
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