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Such a good question to pose. I don't think we can ever completely separate from the emotions certain locations once held, assuming those emotions were associated with the space for a significant period of time.

With time and practice, I believe as humans we can get better at distancing the emotions (if they're negative), but that they always reside in us somewhere, even if subconsciously. It's like how certain smells or tastes can trigger us to think of a person or place when we least expect them to. (Not to be that person who references Proust and "Remembrance of Things Past," but insert his madeleine moment here). Environment has the same power to invoke feelings of the past and allow distant memories to resurface. We forever remember events and the places they took place in. At least that's my though on the matter!

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I totally agree with you here. I feel like emotions stay "stuck" in the places we feel them in some way. We don't always feel them when we're in those spaces (at least, not in my experience), but they have a way of sneaking in inevitably at some point. Part of the reason I love to move, I think – dropping your bags in a new space, reorganizing and redecorating is like a spring cleaning for emotions 😂 plus it keeps us on our toes when we're resistant to change (which I definitely am, deep down at heart).

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Feb 25, 2021
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I totally relate to this. I think the same way.

To me, it's not always a bad thing though. Shocking yes, but who I was in those places will always be a part of me. As sad as they can be to remember, being reminded about those old versions of me is really the only way I can gauge that I've grown at all.

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