Every 7 Years Your Life, Body, And Relationships Change; Make Sure You Pay Attention To These Cycles
Aug 07, 2018 by apost team
You've heard of the seven-year itch, right? Turns out, there's more to it than you might have imagined. Behavioral psychologists, developmental scientists, and astrologists claim that changes in emotions and attitudes follow a pattern of around every seven years. As we grow older, the underlying themes evolve at the end of each cycle.
Consequently, some of life's major events will also fall into this seven-year pattern. As you examine these points, think about your life events. Do weddings, break-ups, job changes, moves, and other major life events follow the pattern for you?
A New Body Every Seven Years?
Scientists have argued that our cells get replaced every few weeks. The seven-year cycle concept explains skin cell are shed and replaced every three to four years. Internal organ cells last longer. By the end of seven years, though, all the cells in the previous cycle are gone and the body is ultimately new.
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Your Identity Changes
Your identity changes in every new cycle. Developmental and behavioral phycologists have identified the stages of development humans go through. Gaining autonomy, self-worth, dealing with guilt, and isolation are some of these stages. The stages tend to correspond with your emotional themes and life events.
Life's Big Questions Change
Every cycle will bring new questions of existence. Your understanding of life itself will be challenged. Although psychologists have divided the seven-year periods into shorter ones, themes seem to follow a pattern. Psychologist Erik Erickson says some of the stages we go through include trust versus mistrust, identity versus role confusion, and intimacy versus isolation.
A Life Lesson With Every Cycle
When we don't learn from life's lessons, we tend to make the same mistakes. Patterns are repeated unless we pause and reflect. For example, if you are always putting yourself last and have a hard time saying no, you may end up with a disrespectful and controlling partner. The sooner you identify and correct mistakes in every cycle, the better off you will be in the next.
Relationships Change
Just as ourselves change through these seven-year cycles, so do our primary relationships. Feelings and interactions with parents, kids, siblings, and partners evolve. Each cycle brings challenges and lessons. If you identify patterns and learn from lessons, relationships grow stronger. The way you connect and bond with friends will also change. This includes both old and new friends.
Personal Happiness Evolves
Although our loved ones always hold a special place, the things that make you happy will change with each cycle. By the third or fourth cycle, happiness comes the most when you do what you love.
Emotional Themes Change
Underlying themes of feelings show a pattern of changing every seven years. Think about that energy and restlessness you felt as a teenager. Your second cycle had ended and you were beginning your third one. When you became an adult, your emotional themes changed. Each cycle will bring emotions that follow a pattern.
For example, a feeling of restriction in one cycle may bring feelings of freedom in the next. As your sense of belonging shifts, you will tend to connect with those whose beliefs and philosophies resonate with yours.
Now that you know, how can you make an awareness of changing life cycles work for you? Understanding life cycles can give you a sense of direction. Let the cycles be like spring cleaning for the body, soul, and mind. Learn from life's lessons.
Get rid of any people or situations that aren't healthy for you and make room for changes. Encourage friends and loved ones to do the same.