Just for a change, I thought I’d talk about change again! Because as we all know, it is certainly a constant within our lives. But actually, so is the fear of change.
There is a part of our brain that doesn’t like change, our primitive brain. This brain is always on alert to any potential danger. So if we are thinking of doing something different, that we are not used to, then this brain will perceive it as a threat and then we start feeling anxious about it all. Which is what this brain loves. It will encourage this anxiety and we don’t want that feeling do we? Then what do we do…we stick to what we know. The thing is, this brain does not really know if the change is good or bad and because it’s not an intellect it cannot be innovative. So we resist the change and this is why we end up staying within our comfort zones. Familiarity is a comfort to us. Yet we know that change can be good for us, we hear people telling us this all the time, but we still worry about it and sometimes this is because we might be afraid of failing. We can then go on to make excuses and blame our busy lives. Sounding familiar?
We can change this and we can learn how to build new neural pathways, basically training our brain to challenge our negative thought patterns. If you think about it, when we do try change and it works for us, how does it make us feel? Braver, stronger, more confident. When we are feeling this way we are more likely to keep going with the changes, strengthening those neural pathways more and more and we learn to cope better.
If you are considering change in your life, however big or small, taking tiny steps to begin with is so important. Building on these steps can help create the change we want and then further down the line, when we look back at how far we have come and what we have achieved, we can feel triumphant and successful.
As a family, we have just experienced huge change! We moved house from Pembrokeshire to Shropshire just a few months ago. Even though we had been planning it for some time and were excited about it and knew it was a good change, it was still scary. After living in Pembrokeshire for 23 years though, it was no surprise that we were feeling that way and our primitive brains were in overdrive. We were leaving our comfort zones, taking a new direction in life, big changes all round. Afterall, when you move house, you’re not just changing your home, you’re changing your life. And so here we are, settling in well, enjoying the unfamiliarity and making new memories.
Are you considering change in your life? Are you not sure where to start? You may be feeling nervous of taking that first step, or perhaps you want to change something but the picture is unclear?
You could start by writing down the change you want to make and then considering one small step you can take towards it. Maybe the next day you could do the same. When we are writing, we are operating from our rational intellectual mind and we are taking control of that primitive negative brain. When we have the words from our head written on the paper and we can see it for real, rather than some dismissive thought, we are confronting it and seeing it more clearly. It can help you to focus on those small steps instead of all the negative thoughts going around in your head.
Small gentle steps will help your primitive mind accept these tiny changes and build those new pathways more naturally.
You can do it and I’d love to know how you get on.
Please click the link below to read my blog about Hypnotherapy for Anxiety.
https://www.mandyholmeshypnotherapy.co.uk/hypnotherapy-for-anxiety/
Mandy Holmes DSFH HPD Clinical Hypnotherapy specialising in solution focused techniques
Tel: 07950 556382
Hypnotherapy in Shrewsbury
Hypnotherapy in Shropshire