Well, today was a little harder than yesterday. I was tired most of the day and had a little
headache. However, I didn't die; I made
it through and I'm still here to talk about it.
That’s what’s so fascinating about making positive changes in your behavior;
you usually think that it’s going to be harder than it really is. You tend to equate deprivation with the threat
of survival.
That is because your reptilian brain; the oldest part of
your brain, dominates your survival instinct.
It carries out set programs, like procreation, autonomic functions of
the body, feeding and self-maintenance. It
is geared to genetically preserve the human species. Some of the traits associated with the
reptilian brain are, aggression, dominance, obsessions, rigidity and
compulsiveness.
Then there is the limbic brain- which carries out your
emotional connection to stimuli in the world.
It creates chemical information messages that embed themselves in your
memory and are highly charged when events are volatile and emotional. That is why associating an emotion with an
event makes it more memorable. My parents
making me a cup of coffee and sharing in a loving and attentive way during
those moments galvanized the pleasure that I get from drinking coffee. You are mostly driven to experience pleasure. These
emotions and this part of your brain may have evolved to counter balance your
reptilian brain, which is geared more for automatic response. Without you limbic brain, you would keep
doing the same things “by route” – in a ritualistic way without learning from
your mistakes. You make most of your
decisions in life by what you feel as opposed to logical thinking.
The Neocortex- the newest and largest part or your brain
wraps around the limbic and reptilian brain.
This part dominates your logic, power of reasoning, creativity, language
and integration of sensory information.
The problem is - the limbic brain and, at times, your reptilian brain can
shut this part down. If you believe you
are in fear for your life, they will override your logic.
How many times have you said, “OMG, I think I'm going to
die”? However, how many times did you really think you were going to die? I've said that in the last few days as I
suffer through my withdrawals from coffee.
How about when you work out hard and your muscles are really sore, or
when you go a few days without eating as much as you are normally used to? The point is, when you try to change old
behaviors that are no longer serving you, the memory of how the behavior once
brought you pleasure fights for survival.
You then tend to go back to your old ways in order to attain that
pleasure again.
When it comes to your body, mind and spirit, the Absolute
Best solution to this problem is to hold on and manually override that
reptilian and limbic brain of yours. Don't
let them throw you into automatic pilot and make you walk around like a zombie reacting
to your life in an unconscious way. I
want you to be fully awake and aware of your life; to feel both the pleasure
and the pain. And, when you push through
the pain, especially with the help of doctors, a support group and scientific research
that proves the path you are on is a healthy one and will increase your chances
for survival - you will get to feel the pleasure of getting to the other side
of that pain. I promise.
Hang in there, you are doing GREAT!
Namaste.
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