Lessons From The Front 2

Change. It is never easy, whether voluntary or change that is forced upon us. We are indeed creatures of habit.

In the world of crime, nothing signifies this fact more than a victim of domestic violence who returns to their tormentor, knowing well that the next assault upon them could end their life. While there are many factors that play into why we return to obviously unhealthy, even dangerous, situations and behavior, much of the blame is on our brain.

To make this less of a neurophysiology lesson and more of a blog, let me give you a simple analogy.

Think of your brain as a heavily wooded forest. Each time that we think a thought, chemicals emit from one section of the brain and travel to another area, which then results in an action or some sort of internal response like an emotion. Consider that thought (chemical reaction) as representing you, walking a specific route through the forest (your brain). So each time you think a thought (chemical), you are essentially walking (routing) through your forest (brain). Now, like any forest, there is much thicket. Burrs, branches, logs, hills and other obstructions make the walk difficult at first. But if we take the same exact route each time we create a smoother path. Once a path is created, it takes us less time to go through that path (from thought to action) than it did when we initially took it. Are you with me still?

So what does this have to do with changing behavior?

Well, the forest analogy is really an analogy about how habits develop.

You see, each time we are in a similar situation (say, one where we get stressed) and think similar thoughts, like "I want to eat potato chips." our brain's chemicals are creating a pathway in our brain (from the originating 'thinking' area of our brain to the 'physical action' part). The more often we are in a similar situation and think similar thoughts, the faster and easier the process from thought to action becomes. Good habits and bad habits are both supported by these pathways in our brain.

For example, the first day on a new job you are likely pretty thoughtful in driving to and from your job. You are conscious of which turns to take and when. As you've worked at the location for some time, you probably are less conscious of the actual drive, step by step, thus, sometimes are "home before you know it". This is a habit. It's when the pathway in our brain has become so profound that we don't even notice the thoughts that initiated the process. We only become aware of the end result.

There are several keys to changing this behavior. Without each key element in place, long-term change is unlikely.

That's all for now. My next post will enlighten you a bit as to the keys for changing habitual behavior. For now... GO GIANTS!!!