E188 | Why The 70Up Documentary Feels Like Years of Therapy

Why does watching the 70 Up documentary feel like years of therapy? Watching lives unfold over six decades can make you reconsider your own: what you’re chasing, what you’re postponing and what really matters.

In this episode Dr. Alex explores ITV’s 70 Up from his perspective as a psychiatrist and therapist. Through the participants’ ambitions, relationships, disappointments and everyday joys, we examine four uncomfortable questions:

• Why don’t we always prioritise what matters most?
• How much of our life do we choose, and how much do we remain the children we once were?
• What actually makes a successful life, and who gets to decide?
• If life never becomes what we hoped, can we still be happy?

Along the way, we discuss childhood, personality, agency, family, regret and the balance between ambition and acceptance.

Heartbreaking, funny and sometimes unexpectedly profound, 70 Up offers a rare opportunity to step back and see a whole life (and perhaps our own) with greater perspective.

Which participant’s story stayed with you most? Let us know in the comments.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

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