The Endless Loop: Exploring the Mental Effects of a “Groundhog Day” Scenario and what we can do about it.
Introduction:
The movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray takes us on a journey where Bill Murray’s character, Phil Connors, finds himself stuck in an endless loop of repeating the same day, over and over again. Although the movie is fictional, it does show us a great deal of how a Groundhog Day type of scenario would affect those of us in the real world. With Groundhog Day just around the corner, I wanted this blog to go deep into how, if we here in the real world were to experience a Groundhog Day, would affect our psyche and the psychosocial aspects of it. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s experienced that same old same old feeling from time to time. That said, I also wanted to share with you some of the tricks I’ve used to go around that Groundhog Day type of brick wall.
1. Loss of Agency:
Experiencing the same day, over and over again without the ability to change the results would undoubtedly put anyone through a wide range of emotions. And at a grand scale at that. The first one most likely being a sense of ‘lack of consequence’. I mean after all; you could run a red light in a red-light camera intersection and never get a ticket. But, over time, it would eventually turn into a depression. In the movie, after Bill Murrey’s character Phil Connors realizes he’s living the same day over and over again, he revels in the lack of consequences. As time goes on, we begin to see its effect on his wellbeing. Later he goes deeper and deeper into depression and disregard. One of the moments I remember is the jeopardy scene. With a look of disdained disconnect, he gives the answer before the question is even asked. The look on his face and his demeanor pretty much says it all. What started out for him as an unexpected crisis, quickly turned into novelty. After a while, that novelty became a mental burden.
2. Existential Crisis:
Living the same day over and over again without a doubt would trigger an existential crisis. No matter who’s living the repetitive Groundhog Day. Think about it. What you did today would have no effect on tomorrow. None whatsoever. Consider the scene where Phil broke a pencil and set it on top of the alarm clock when he went to bed. The next morning it was back to the way it was yesterday morning. On the nightstand and unbroken. That would have an effect on anyone. And since time loses its linear progression, people would grapple with the significance of their actions. In a very short time, someone experiencing a real-world Groundhog Day would experience an existential crisis.
3. Cognitive Challenges:
Pardon the pun but this is one that took some thinking. In a few scenes Phil forgot someone’s name, and even said out loud a list of items his costar liked and didn’t like. To which she even questioned whether or not he was making a list. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Pretend for a moment that you’re trying to impress someone. Now you already know a lot about this person, but the person doesn’t know you know the information they themselves think is still unknown by you. This meeting happens over and over again. How long would it be before you wonder, ‘does he/she already know I know this yet? Or not?’ Talk about a cognitive challenge.
1. Isolation and Loneliness:
For you extraverts out there, this one would be the hardest part. Every day, like clockwork, other people’s memory of you would not be retained. Like a memory stick being reformatted, their memory of their time with you would be gone – forever, resulting in a total disconnect with others. And on a daily basis. This lack of continual meaningful connections would undoubtedly put anyone living a Groundhog Day scenario into a deep sense of isolation and loneliness..
2. Relationship Dynamics:
This one has some unique behind-the-scenes information with it. One of the things that Producer Harold Ramis mentioned in an interview was that shortly after the movie was released, Buddhists contacted him saying that his movie was one of their spiritual experiences in their faith. Living a day over and over again until the one experiencing it gets it right in terms of how they improve their relationships with others. Given this input brings me to another point on the psychosocial dynamics someone would experience should they have a Groundhog Day in reality. The dynamic of how they go about relationships. Now that doesn’t mean that the others they have the relationship with would remember the change tomorrow, but over the course of the eternal one-day experience, the one reliving that same day would change how they treat others. Wanting that wellbeing feeling that comes from helping others, it’s more likely that they would treat others with a ‘wanting to help them’ mindset.
3. Emotional Toll:
Bill Murray’s character goes through a wide range of emotions. From despair to acceptance. And that’s putting it mildly. If someone were to have a Groundhog Day experience like in the movie, they would endure emotional fatigue. This alone would create a challenge in the area of managing their mental well-being.
Lucky for us, the movie Groundhog Day is a fictional movie rather than a documentary. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have that same feeling of living the same day over and over again. A feeling of ‘my life is stuck in dull mode’.
I’m pretty sure that every one of us at some point has had our own Groundhog Day feeling in one area of life or another. Our day-to-day. Our job. Our schooling. You name it, it’s happened. A time where every day seems to be just like every other day. We’ve all been there. Maybe not in the extreme sense that Phil Connor experienced, but a same old same old Groundhog Day experience nonetheless.
Here’s 7 simple things you can put to work today that’ll help you deal with those monotonous Groundhog Day experiences.
1. Mindfulness:
One of the ones I like to use is a mindfulness trick I learned when I first tried mindfulness. It involves using your senses as if you were using them for the first time. Now when I say use your senses, I mean observe them. Reconnect with your senses as you go about your daily activities. Especially those that are done on autopilot. Try and revisit what you smell, what you hear, how things taste, etc. This is more or less a refocusing on sensations as you perform tasks that you do on a normal day-to-day basis, but it does the trick. It brings a whole new ‘refreshing newness’ to the daily to-dos.
2. Eat:
One of the things I enjoy doing to get out of a Groundhog Day type of feeling is to eat something new. I love good food and the only way I can find new food I’ll like is to, well, eat new food. Pretty simple, right? It seems simple enough but most people, when they’re hungry, go through their mental list of foods they like or restaurants they like in order to find one that fits their, ‘that sounds good’ bill. Want a different day, try eating something you’ve never had before. Never had Indian food? Head over to an Indian restaurant. If you go to a restaurant you’ve been to many times before, pick something off the menu you’ve never had before. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. But at the very least, you’ll remember the experience. Can’t say that about other ‘same-old same-old’ type of days. Why? Because a new ‘food day’ is not a ‘same old’ day. For an extra tip, this would be a great opportunity to put those senses of smell and taste to work.
3. Do Different:
Intentionally do something – different. Now when I say do something different, I mean ‘different’. When we experience a Groundhog Day type scenario we’re feeling a sense of the ‘same-old same-old’. And the best way to get out of that box is to intentionally do something different. To do this, the first thing you’d need to do is identify things you’ve already done and, well, take them off the list of options.
4. Reroute Your Norms:
Here’s another ‘out-of-the-box’ one. Do the things you normally do but do them differently. Most people get comfortable with the daily norms in life. Or what I call ‘the comfortable shoe’. Yea, our normal everyday sneakers may look torn and tattered, but they sure are comfortable. However, being all warm and cozy and staying in a world of comfort can rob us of the better routes in our life that can put us ahead of a lot of challenges. For example, most people when they go somewhere use the same old routes they’ve always used. One of the things I’ve become accustomed to doing is taking different routes when I go places. Even if I’ve been to that same place many times before. I like driving and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed learning new routes and finding new places. Not to mention, if I’m ever stuck in dense traffic, I probably already drove a go around and have figured out a new route to bypass the delay and pass everyone else who’s stuck in traffic. Talk about an added benefit.
5. Become Employee 2.0.
This is an idea I saw in the 1999 comedy Office Space starring Ron Livingston. Now I’m not encouraging anyone to do what he did, or to the extreme he did it in, but we all have the ability to redecorate our cubicle. Use themes and decorate it accordingly. You can even go as far as changing it weekly. If you don’t have a cubical, find another way to bring about your creativity to your own Office Space. Heck, you can even turn it into an office game. Decorate it to a movie or series theme and have people guess what the movie or series is before Friday and announce the winner on Monday morning. At the very least, you’d be giving your coworkers something to look forward to on Monday mornings. The one day of the week that historically has the greatest number of heart attacks due to work stress. Don’t add to their stress, just create a game out of your creativity. Go ahead and be the same employee but be a different version of the same employee.
6. Brain Build.
This one’s a fun one as well. You’ve heard of bodybuilding? Well, this idea does the same thing but with your brain. And just like a bodybuilder works out in order to build muscle, you’ll be brain building to increase your mental cognitive ability. So, how do you do this? Simple. Read. Play a thinking game. Pick something you don’t know how to do and learn how to do it. Take a class. Do word puzzles. Doing activities that requires us to think and use our cognitive muscle, creates more neurological connections in the same way a weightlifter using his muscles creates more muscle fiber.
And finally,
7. Turn ‘same old’ into, the ‘new old’.
In short, keep doing what you’ve been doing but do it differently for a change. If you always put dishes in the dish washer, do them by hand. If you walk the dog holding the leash with your right hand, hold it with your left. If you’ve always listened to the same radio station on the way to work, listen to a different one for a change. Put a little extra one on this one. Listen to a station you’ve never heard of before. The possibilities are endless.
If you’re having a Groundhog Day experience like Bill Murray did in the movie, don’t ignore it: Changing a few small things can go a long way in bringing you out of your psychological Groundhog Day scenario.
Conclusion:
The mental effects of a Groundhog Day scenario, as depicted in the movie, are complex and multifaceted. From the psychological challenges of a repetitive existence to the impact on social dynamics, individuals in such a situation would need resilience, coping mechanisms, and a deeper understanding of themselves to navigate the intricacies of an endless time loop.
While “Groundhog Day” remains a fictional tale, its exploration of the human psyche offers valuable insights into the resilience and adaptability of the human mind. To help get yourself out from under your own Groundhog Day experience, I leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
About Paul Calhoun
Chicago based Mental Wellness Consultant and Trainer Paul Calhoun is an accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor and mental health advocate with over 30 years’ experience in the Mental Health arena. He’s worked with key decision makers in both Government and Private sectors. He’s also spoken internationally on the topic of Mental Health in both profit and not-for-profit organizations. For more information, CLICK HERE to download Pauls’ Speaker One Sheet.