One random day this summer, I was at work and was hit with a strong feeling of deja vu. I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, but I was faced with an inexplicable feeling that I had been there before – in my exact spot, experiencing my exact thoughts. Whenever I experience deja vu, I tend to wonder what about that specific moment was special, or why my body felt the need to alert me of something at that time. (If you know me, you know I am always looking for deeper meanings!) But this specific experience at work prompted me to do a little research on the phenomenon of deja vu.
The term deja vu is French, meaning “already seen.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time.” This is the pretty basic definition that we are all familiar with. Medically, doctors typically describe it as a memory misfire. It’s possible that your brain’s sensory processing is slightly delayed when you experience deja vu, making that small moment of your brain catching up feel like a recalled memory. Other medical explanations for deja vu include extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, or high anxiety. This could explain something in my case, because I am consistently low on sleep and high on caffeine.
After my initial Google search provided me with the above information, I was feeling a little unhappy with my definition of deja vu. For me, deja vu feels a little bit magical. Every time I experience the phenomenon, there’s a strange feeling in the air. There are multiple cases I can recall in which I experienced deja vu shortly after pondering a big life decision – like entering one of my first classes abroad or sitting at work considering my post-grad plans. These instances feel particularly powerful, and I tend to interpret them positively.
I like to view these moments as small gestures of reassurance. I’m sitting at work stressing about my plans for after I graduate, and then suddenly experience a split second of what feels like a repeated memory. I’m left with a strange feeling that I choose to interpret as a nudge to slow down: everything is fine, and I’m in the right place. Again, if you know me, you know I try to find the positive twist in most situations. I also know there’s no scientific evidence telling me that deja vu is a sign that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. But that doesn’t make the feeling any less interesting to me. Some more hippy interpretations of deja vu describe these moments as memories from a past life or even divine confirmations that you are on the right path. I don’t necessarily know if I believe either of those explanations, but I like the idea of leaving a little room for them.
I don’t expect everyone to buy into that – and honestly, I’m not sure I completely do either. But it was interesting to find a more spiritual explanation for something that is usually reduced to a memory misfire. I’m always open to welcoming a little magic into ordinary life, so from here on out, I’m going to try to find a deeper meaning every time I experience deja vu. Maybe it’s a tiny nudge to slow down and appreciate where I am. Or maybe it’s just my brain doing something weird because I’m running on limited hours of sleep and two to three cups of anxiety-inducing coffee a day. Either way, I think I’ll keep paying attention.