Do you want to change the record?
From time to time we want to make improvements in our lives – but it’s not easy to change long-held behaviours or form new habits. Some scientific research suggests that you need to do a new activity for 60 days consistently before it sticks.
Making changes is challenging because repeated behaviours can become hard-wired into our brains, making physical connections in our nervous system and, like a needle on a record, we stick in the familiar grooves.
How Does Our Brain Work?
Modern science recognises that the brain can change its structure and function in response to experiences and has termed it ‘neuroplasticity’. So, why do we find it so difficult to make a new groove?
Well, while our conscious, intellectual mind knows that these changes are good for us, unfortunately that part of the brain that is responsible for our survival, the sub-conscious mind, really does not like change. Stress tends to make us operate more in our subconscious mind and there, we make automatic decisions which follow the old ways – we are much more likely to succeed if we are relaxed and can make conscious decisions that embrace change.
What Can We Do To Change The Record?
There are things that we can do to engage our conscious mind and encourage new habits to form:
- Self-belief and determination – thinking “I can, I will” (check out my blog post on self talk)
- Positive language – saying out loud what it is you want to achieve
- Visualising the outcome – our subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what is in our imagination, so you can start the process just by visualising your goal.
So get out there, get positive and make the change that you want to see in your life!
If you are looking to break bad habits, I have a blog post on that too, you can that here “Breaking the Habits of a Lifetime“. And when we are doing new things, we can naturally feel anxious about the tasks. My blog post about controlling anxiety, discusses using positive action, positive interaction and positive thinking, to combat the feelings of anxiety. You might also find this useful to read.