Have you ever made a positive step by attending a self-growth workshop, meditating or taking a leadership class? I’m sure most of you have. What usually happens? Well, in my experience, I get all excited and love the learning. After the class I try to incorporate my learning. Fast forward a couple months and odds are I am living exactly the way I was before. It’s just way too easy fall back into my old patterns. Recently I completed a class focused on how the brain works and why change, even positive change is hard. Through the class I learned simple (not easy) ways to lock in the change and live a life with more success and happiness. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned in hopes that it will be as helpful to you as it has been for me!
To grasp why change is hard we need to understand the brain. There are two main areas of our brain. The older part -brainstem and limbic system which allows our body to function automatically and the newer parts including the prefrontal cortex, the areas that support innovation, complex problem-solving, intuition, planning and empathizing with others. That older part or the survival part of the brain is built to protect us from immediate and present danger. When it is activated our peripheral vision clouds so we can focus on escaping or fighting. Our body functions narrow so that all energy is saved for action. Again, perfect for situations of extreme danger. However, It’s not so helpful in a stressful work environment! Unfortunately, most of us live our lives at some level of fight or flight. This, over time, wears down our adrenal system causing exhaustion, loss of motivation and less enjoyment of life overall.
In contrast the “sage” or “wise” part of our brain is perfect for our overall life and work environment. It supports innovation, decisive action, curiosity and empathy. Traits which will lead to success in all areas of life. Children tend to spend more time using the “sage” brain. That is why we can observe unfettered curiosity and exploration in toddlers. The older we get the more we tend to live in the survival part of the brain. Through our lives we experience traumas both large and small which activate our saboteurs. As we observe people when they age the tendency is to spend more time in fear and anxiety. That is, unless we purposefully choose to build the sage part of our brain. As with our body we can build muscles (neuropathways) that support the survival brain or the sage brain.
The benefits of building the wise brain are endless. Lowered anxiety and stress. Less conflict in all areas of life. More joy and creativity. A feeling of compassion for others and the skill of managing even the difficult people life.
In my first few posts I will be focusing on saboteurs (old patterns) which come from the survival brain and lead to high levels of anxiety and stress behaviors. Then, I will be sharing strategies to build the wise brain neuropathways.
As we start our journey together take a minute to find out your top saboteurs by using the saboteur assessment. Take the test at least 3 times. Once during the work day. Once on the weekend and then maybe once on a work evening. Your results will change depending on your current level of stress. The purpose of the assessment is to help you be aware of your strongest saboteurs so you will see them coming! Here’s the link… https://www.positiveintelligence.com/assessments/
I look forward to exploring your saboteurs with you and sharing tips on how to build your wise brain.
Have an Amazing Monday (and everyday!)
Leanna Fredrich, Leadership, Career and Stress-Management Consultant
Leanna@amazingmondays.com