What Does Neuroscience Have To Teach Us About Attaining Our Goals?
At this time of year, when so many of us are setting new goals for ourselves,
it’s worth taking a look at what the latest scientific knowledge has to teach
us about the process of personal change. One of the most interesting areas of
research in recent years involves neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to
restructure itself in response to stimuli and even thoughts. Neuroplasticity in
its most obvious form is easily seen in the brains of individuals with unusual
physical abilities or apparent disabilities. For example, the area of the brain
associated with the processing of fast visual stimuli is exceptionally
well-developed in professional baseball players, who must track pitches at 90
miles an hour or more. The area of the brain associated with processing
physical sensation through touch is much more developed in blind individuals,
due to their reading of braille.
For the rest of us, knowledge of neuroplasticity offers powerful information
about how we can change, or rather how we can set goals for ourselves
to change certain habits or behaviors. Here are some recommendations for making
your goals stick, based on this research:
1) Prioritize and pick one (yes, one)
thing about yourself or your life that you would really like to change.
Make a commitment to focus exclusively on this goal for 6-8 weeks. This is the
amount of time research indicates it takes for most of us to develop a new
habit. In other words, this is the amount of time required to begin to create
changes in our brain - the kind of change that will enable permanent
transformation. You can move on to other items on your list later.
2) Now, think about what underlying mental or
emotional patterns contribute to your current state related to this goal.
For example, if you are trying to lose weight, what emotional or mental
triggers cause you to overeat or skip exercising? If you are trying to be less
impatient with your children, contemplate what specific situations and factors
cause you to lose it? The idea here is to pinpoint the existing thoughts (and
by extension neural patterns) that currently reinforce the behavior you are
trying to change.
3) Next, develop specific affirmations or practices that counteract
these triggers, and make sure they are in positive, rather than negative,
language. For example, if you realize that you tend to overeat
whenever you feel criticized at work, focus on statements related to building
your self-esteem, such as ‘I am competant and confidant in what I do.’ If you
always lose your patience when your children create a mess, say ‘I am flexible
and calm in the face of chaos.’ While this might seem extremely hokey, the
insight of the latest neuroplasticity research is that we can create new neural
patterns in our brains through the thoughts we think. So focus on creating and
enforcing thoughts that support your resolution - over and over (it is all
about practice.)
4) Next, focus on strategy and routine. Develop a very
specific step-by-step plan for how you will accomplish or ‘practice’ your goal.
If you want to lose weight, what diet are you planning to follow? What will
your exact menu be for each of the six weeks? When, where, and with whom will
you eat? When will you purchase the foods you need? If you are trying to
develop your patience in the face of chaose, create test situations for
yourself each day - for example, buy your kids a ton of art supplies and sit
down with them to make an art project (guaranteed to create a mess), and practice
(again that word) a different response.
5) Think in the long-term. Remember that you are trying to
change your brain, and that takes time (at least 6 weeks.) You will undoubtedly
fail along the way, as your existing thought patterns surface. No matter, just
plug along with your plan on all fronts. Just like practicing batting in
baseball (or any other kind of traditional practice) the number of times you
fail is not that relevant, it is the number of times you succeed that begins to
create new neural patterns. So focus on maximizing your successes, and don’t
get caught up in counting your mistakes.
Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. For information
on her classes and information about meditation and women’s spirituality, visit
her blog at Mommy Mystic.
User Comments
No comments have been provided.
