Tell me about it!
Our brain is designed to protect us from uncertainty and therefore we experience resistance to change. Neuroscience tells us that brain cells that fire together to produce a behaviour or thought also wire together. Eventually, it would take effort to break apart that wiring. So, change for your brain is physically difficult to do.
However, Neuroscience also tells us that, we have the capacity to change our brain across our lifespan. Research shows that even in adulthood we can grow new brain cells and change how brain cells connect.
So you may ask, how I can change my brain and adopt new behaviours?
Research says that when you do a new task or behaviour repeatedly, you create immediate changes in your brain. With repetition, those changes become lasting. But it takes effort and time. This is the principle of neuroplasticity.
So don’t give up before you see the change in your life you are hoping for. Know that you are physically changing your brain to support that new behaviour. Be patient. Repeatedly engage in that new behaviour and your brain will grow with you to make it easier and more automatic.