In order to change your life, you have to create good habits and destroy the bad ones. But to do that, it helps to understand how your brain works. When it comes to creating new habits, your brain is working against you. 

Your brain is working against you

Anytime you do something that causes pleasure or pain, our brain stores it. It goes back to caveman days when remembering what was painful would save their lives. It still helps save us. The problem is that those memories get stored in the emotional, subconscious part of the brain, rather than the logical, prefrontal cortex. 

The other problem is that those feelings can then be triggered by unrelated stimuli. Have you ever been out and about and suddenly smelled something that reminded you of being a kid? All those emotions from years ago come flooding back! Because of a smell.

The way the brain stores information can make it hard to create a new, healthy habit. But the good news is, you can rewire your brain. How? Through reflection. Reflection is at the core of rewiring your habits. And while it takes practice, it’s fairly easy to do.

The power of asking “Why?”

To create a new habit, you have to try new things and then reflect on how you feel. Usually, we focus on the first part of that and completely forget the second part. But asking yourself how you feel and why you feel that way is the key. 

Let’s say you made a goal to exercise every day, but then life happens and you miss a day. You might feel guilty for not planning your day better, or you might feel relief at having one less thing to worry about that day. The thing is, it doesn’t matter whether you feel guilt or relief, pain or pleasure because both reactions get stored in the same part of your brain. Either way, those feelings will become familiar and your brain will always opt for the familiar.

However, if you can pause, identify what you’re feeling, and ask “Why?” you bring the emotion from the subconscious to the conscious mind. You bring it to the logic part of your brain and you cut the loop.

3 ways to rewire your habits

If you’re ready to rewire your brain using reflection, try these 3 tips to bring your emotions from the subconscious to the conscious mind:

1. Take time to reflect on how unhealthy behaviors make you feel bad, and how healthy behaviors make you feel good. Write your thoughts down or talk to somebody about it. Writing or talking about those feelings brings them out of your subconscious. It also reinforces your belief in the changes you want to make!
2. Get in the habit of pausing and reflecting on your emotions in the moment. Did you miss going to the gym? Say to yourself how you’re feeling and why. “I’m feeling guilty because I broke a promise to myself and I feel like I can’t make my health a priority and still get everything else done.” 
3. Become more sensitive to the feelings you don’t notice. This is especially important when you’re working towards a long-term goal (like your health). If you’ve changed up your diet, over time you will have more energy and feel stronger, but your brain has a tough time when it doesn’t see immediate results. You can help your brain by writing down how you feel right after you eat a healthy, nutrient-packed meal. You probably don’t notice how good you feel after a good, healthy meal. So writing it down will help you be more sensitive to that feeling and it will help you reinforce your actions. Try this with any of your long-term goals.

Your brain might be working against you, but you’re stronger than that. You can rewire your brain and create new, healthy habits! If you’re ready to really commit and create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, set up a call with me and let’s start working towards it now!