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You're going to think I'm making this up.
I swear this isn't gobbledy-gook. In fact you can learn this word for word and sound like a right smart arse next time one of your friends is moaning about a bad habit they have. It's a quote from a book I was reading this morning. Ready? "Hebbs law, the quantum Zeno effect and neuroplasticity explain why focusing your attention on something repeatedly causes brain circuits to form a and strengten". I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "I already knew that...tell me something I don't know". All joking aside, that sentence is potentially life changing. Especially if you regularly find yourself doing something that seems totally contrary to your goals. Like eating half a cheesecake when you're trying to lose weight. Or drinking every night after work. It just needs a bit of de-mystifer sprayed on it. Right...here goes... Hebbs law - when different parts of the brain become active at the same time they bond together in a pattern. Neurons that fire together, wire together. Or. Once upon-a-time you got stressed. You did something that made you feel better for a short period of time. Eating, smoking, sexing, whatevs. Your brain learned a little pattern, some circuits all fired together. You get stressed again and find the same solution. It happens again, the circuit gets stronger and stronger. It can get so that you no longer need the initial stress to want the relief. Quantum zeno effect - this is what stabilizes the activated areas of the brain long enough for Hebbs law to take effect. This happens via focused attention. What you focus your attention on is vital for your mental and physical health. Neuroplasticity - you can teach an old dog new tricks. The brain is plastic, as in it can change and adapt....if you put enough effort into it. Putting it all together. We get an uncomfortable feeling, we do something to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. Even if that action is damaging for our long term health. The brain learns and repeats the pattern. It's important to remember that this happens with positive things too. So what do you do? We tend to think we can power away any negative thoughts with just will power. You can't. You can't choose what messages your brain sends you. But you can choose what you do with those messages. The good news is you have a veto. You get to say that you won't act on these urges. It feels weird and uncomfortable at first. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. To make this more effective you need to have a goal. Something positive that you're aiming for to focus on. Where you place your focus is hugely important. For example. You may not have fancied going to work today. You could have stayed at home and watched "Loose Women". In the short term that would have been easier. In the long term it would have sucked as you need money to do nice things and pay bills. Or affected your promotion chance etc. There was a long term goal of some sort that got you out of bed. It's all about where you place your focus.
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AuthorNiall Smith Archives
September 2019
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