Upgrade Your Brain
Personal growth isn't just about tapping your potential and achieving "success" in the material world. Inner shifts are huge in terms of how you perceive and experience life. Yet, the signs of your inner upgrade may be subtle or undetected by onlookers. They may notice your radiance, your inspiring attitude or your sense of grounded calm. But whether your internal "work" shows on the outside or not, the quality of your existence and your effect on others will change for the better as you endeavor to upgrade from the inside-out.
Although mind-body-spirit work together as one, you gotta start somewhere. Why not start at the top? It's exciting to know that the brain has the ability to unlearn old patterns and get rewired in new and adaptive ways, thanks to neuroplasticity. If you're determined to make positive changes for enhanced mental wellness, you can expect real results. It's not easy to get your mind off autopilot. Those old, familiar grooves are well worn in, no matter how unpleasant. It takes some intention, dedication, practice and patience. But the great news is, you can train your brain to favor new terrain.
Here are a few ways to show your brain who's boss:
Try meditation and/or mindfulness. By being present to your breath, your being and your in-the-moment experience, you can actually tame your brain. Rather than follow every low budget thought where it leads, allowing it to snowball and overtake your attention, you can teach that overachieving noggin to come back to stillness, focus on the present and be free.
Consider EMDR. This therapeutic technique allows old wounds to be reprocessed and overcome. If you get triggered in the same old way over and over again, EMDR offers a solution that allows you to get right to the root of the problem and gently shake it loose, so to speak. Traumas of all kinds (big or small) get stored in the right brain, while talk therapy engages the left hemisphere. With EMDR, we activate both sides of the brain with bilateral stimulation, allowing for relief and resolution.
Be positive. It's amazing how suggestibility can create real experience. Just the mention of sucking on a lemon wedge can cause our mouths to water and lips to pucker. Sometimes the mind can't tell the difference between what's real or imagined. Warning: the quality of your words and thoughts will affect how you feel. Even when regrets or worries aren't warranted, your self-esteem may take a beating. It's okay--sometimes essential--to vent or process difficult feelings with a trusted friend or therapist. Just remember to give some attention to how you want things to be.
If you're interested in learning more about these techniques or if you'd like assistance with your inner upgrade, please contact me. And remember, you can choose to think differently. You can learn ways to feel better. You can make an upgrade, no matter how good you've already got it. What could be more enticing than that?