Groundhog Day
When someone mentions Groundhog Day, most people think of one of two things; Either the classic movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray or the day that the groundhog ends its winter hibernation and predicts if winter will be continuing for another 6 weeks. But for our purposes, we will take a deeper look at the movie Groundhog Day and the four lessons that were revealed, which we could apply to our everyday lives. WARNING: Spoiler alert!
Building Blocks- When the main character Phil, played by Bill Murray, comes to the realization that he is reliving the same day over and over again, his whole way of thinking is turned upside down. He starts to wonder why he is even putting in any effort to be polite, showing up to work, and even eating healthy if it “does not count”. Oftentimes, we can feel like we are putting in the effort day in and day out, but things are not changing. It can impact us in a real way and we have to acknowledge that. A way to combat those feelings is setting goals that we can build off of each day, such as going jogging and adding one minute to each run or eating one healthy food each day. It might not sound like much, but upwards momentum in different parts of your life can positively impact your trajectory and direction.
Processing Grief- When Phil recognizes that he is living the same day on repeat, he falls into a deep depression. This is where the movie earns its stripes as a “dark comedy”, as Phil attempts to put himself out of his misery by harming himself. When that does not have the intended effect, he angrily lashes out at those around him as he is frustrated and unhappy. My interpretation was that this was Phil’s way of grieving, even though it did not appear to be the healthiest way to grieve. There are times where we need to acknowledge our feelings and process them in a constructive way.
No Consequences- When Phil sees that his own actions have no consequences, he begins his endless circle of binge-eating, robberies, and even kidnapping the groundhog in an attempt to change the loop he is living in. My takeaway from these scenes in the movie is that Phil stumbled onto something that people could only dream of. Going about your day knowing that your actions do not have a negative impact is a dream scenario. But the truth is, people need to feel as if their actions have an effect on those around them, positive or negative. Although Phil initially enjoyed himself, he very quickly realized how meaningless it all was.
Making the Most of your Situation- Towards the end of the movie, we start to see a transformation in Phil, mostly in regards to how he treats others as well as how he views his own outlook on life. Phil realized that if he inherently changed himself, his actual reality will change, which it did! When we find ourselves in situations that are out of our control, we need to focus on things that we can control. We need to look inwards and determine where we are going wrong in order to change our reality.
If you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety, depression, addiction, or grief, Ben Barer LCSW-C has extensive experience in working with clients using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to improve all areas of life. He can be contacted by phone or email, 443-601-9722 or barercounseling@gmail.com or through the contact form on barercounseling.com.
