Try knowing your brain before you change it!
When you take the time to read about how the brain works, it really is truly remarkable. We of course take it for granted, even if unintentionally so, such is the natural endeavour that we don’t even think about it. But when you begin to read up on it, you really get a sense of the complexity, enormity and uniqueness of that which is utterly central to our everyday survival, never mind bodily function.
A number of years ago, I began to buy (and read of course) various books that are geared towards demonstrating how we think (as opposed to how we think we think), and the (all too often negative) effect it has on us.
An outcome from this is actually being more aware of how the brain tricks us and therefore how we should really be thinking instead, and I suppose from this, how we can ‘train’ our mind as it were by altering our thinking in ways that will make it easier to navigate life from day to day.
This of course is entirely useful with regard to mapping out behaviour or attitudes, and being able to shape a response when required. There is no end of these types of books available. Take a walk into any of the main high street bookshops, or you’ll notice them (in particular) at airports, many of the self-help-change-your-life-think-like-the-author-and-you-can-have-a-life-like-me variety which offer step by step exercises and daily routine to achieve the new you.
These of course are perfectly fine in their own right, and if they work for you, great. But….and there is a but, and it’s by no means a criticism of their validity but if you are going to work on coaching yourself and your thinking, you’re as well knowing how the machine works before you begin to fine-tune it. So for example, I see no point in reaffirming yourself every day with an activity from a self-help guide if you don’t know how and why your brain keeps dishing out negative thoughts in the first place. If you’re a brain surgeon and you’re reading this then you might choose to just ignore me. However, if not, my recommendation is not to start with the self-help stuff first but get to know how the brain operates so you know what steps will work for you.
The reality of the brain is that there is so much that we don’t know about it. Our brains are not fixed and they react differently depending to any given situation.
Our natural state is one of daydreaming, our brains are underused, they are built for and designed to look for patterns even when they don’t exist and they have a problem with accepting things happen randomly.
They mislead, fool and deceive us continuously (without our even knowing it), they operate at two speeds – the quick thinking and irrational, and the slower more deliberate and rational.
They frequent Fight, Flight or Freeze mode regularly, have a bias for simplicity, are limited to a number functions (estimated to be six) and operate in ways unbeknownst to us most of the time. The good news however, is that we are not at fault for the brains we have been lumbered with nor the thoughts that come with it.
So make time, get to know a little about the brain, it might explain some things……about you, your family, your siblings, your friends, colleagues and so on. It might help you to realise you’re not always right, there are reasons to explain their behaviour and thus you can cut people some slack from here on in. Ultimately, you’re not quite the superhero you think you are or let on to be, or have managed to convince others that you are!
