Habits can be described as the accumulation of well worn neuropathways in your brain. The more you become used to completing a task one way, the more it becomes part of you. That can be a scary proposition for someone that maintains less-than-stellar health habits that they want to break. The great news is that all is not lost! Here is why:
Even the adult brain is neuroplastic
This means an old dog can learn some new tricks after all! A key to adopting new behaviors is to increase their “stickiness”. In other words, habits that are able to connect to other parts of the brain tend to die hard. Don’t believe me? Try this:
Recall a major accomplishment or blessing in your life. Ask yourself these questions:
- Where were you?
- What sounds do you remember?
- Do you recall any particular smells?
- Were you eating something tasty?
- How did you feel physically? Emotionally?
What habit do you want to adopt this spring? You can leverage this distributed network of storage yourself by imagining how your situation will improve if you make your new behavior permanent. Often referred to as a visioning exercise, this process is thought to have the most impact on “stickiness”. The method is most adhesive if you can imagine all of those sensations that might be present in recalling a special memory. There are plenty of ways you can begin building your vision of optimal health. Why don’t you give it a try?