By nature, we don’t like change.  Our brains are wired to do lots of things on autopilot to conserve energy and resources.  This autopilot mechanism allows us to function in the world without being overwhelmed with the multitude of decisions we would have to make otherwise.   The downside is that the same mechanism interferes with our plans to build new habits by repeating and reinforcing our old behaviors.  The good news is that we can rewire our brains and change despite our natural propensity to maintain the status-quo.

Recent developments in the field of neuroscience shed light on how we can facilitate change.  Neuroscientists tell us now that the brain makes about 10,000 new cells ever day, and each cell makes around 10,000 connections to other brain cells over the successive period of four months.  We are continuously producing new brain cells and create new pathways in our brain.  The remarkable thing is that we can participate actively and consciously in the rewiring of our brains to produce healthier life habits. The brain’s ability to rewire itself is called neuroplasticity.   Depending on where we focus our attention, we are going to build different sets of connections and different pathways.  Our habits will develop accordingly.  (If you want to learn more about this amazing potential we all have, check out “The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force” by Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley.)

Imagine that you are on a plane flying over a city at night.  You look down and see the city lights. They appear like a golden carpet, it’s a beautiful view.  As you look closer, you notice that some parts of the city are dark, and other parts are very well lit.  You can also identify big roads and highways by the lights that run alongside those roads. The whole infrastructure of the city is right there in front of your eyes.

Now, picture that the grooves in the brain are like those well-lit highways.  When certain information enters the brain, specific pathways are activated.  The pathways that light up a lot become our default routes that represent our familiar patterns of behavior.  For example, if we use food to relieve stress or negative emotions, after a while, it becomes our default behavior, and the hand goes for a cookie jar almost automatically.  If we want to change our behavior, we need to start creating new pathways in the brain and make them the new default through focused attention, consistency, and repetition.

What undesirable habits appear almost automatic in your life?
At which point do you decide to go down a familiar route of behavior?

Becoming more aware of your choices and actions is the first step to facilitating positive change and creating better alternatives.