Mindful Leisure Time – Rewire the Brain
Experts claim that about 95% of our daily actions are done on ‘autopilot’, in a process which is controlled by the ‘fast brain’. The neurotransmitters that control our repetitive habits do it with such efficiency, and that is what makes breaking a habit (e.g. smoking) difficult. Mindfulness is the exact opposite of automatically giving in to habits, and when we practice it, we put our ‘slow brain’ to use.
The more you practice, the stronger the sense of control over the mind becomes, and new habits can form. But there is one problem. While our ‘slow brain’ is doing the work, the ‘fast brain’ is still trying to get us to take shortcuts. To remind ourselves that we’re the ones in power over our minds we can take a number of steps:
1. Create a Motivating Environment – If one of your goals for the day is to stretch instead of sitting on the couch watching TV, place your workout mat in the middle of the living room. It will remind you of your decision, and invite you to take action.
2. Mix Up Your Motivation Methods - The previous tip might work for a week or so. After that the ‘fast brain’ will prompt you to go back to your old habits, and caving to it will be harder to resist. Therefore, you need to freshen up the ways in which you motivate yourself to take action. For example, instead of placing the mat in the living room, stick a note on the TV screen saying ’10 minutes of stretches’.
3. Intentionally Create New Patterns of Thinking - Create a new thought pattern using the ‘X means Y’ model. For example, if you want to be more relaxed and happy when you get home from work, repeat the mantra ‘Coming in through the door means a smile’. If you’re nervous about making phone calls, repeat ‘phone calls mean deep breaths’. This intentional conditioning will help you be more aware of your actions and behaviors, by using the ‘slow brain’.
The more you practice, the stronger the sense of control over the mind becomes, and new habits can form. But there is one problem. While our ‘slow brain’ is doing the work, the ‘fast brain’ is still trying to get us to take shortcuts. To remind ourselves that we’re the ones in power over our minds we can take a number of steps:
1. Create a Motivating Environment – If one of your goals for the day is to stretch instead of sitting on the couch watching TV, place your workout mat in the middle of the living room. It will remind you of your decision, and invite you to take action.
2. Mix Up Your Motivation Methods - The previous tip might work for a week or so. After that the ‘fast brain’ will prompt you to go back to your old habits, and caving to it will be harder to resist. Therefore, you need to freshen up the ways in which you motivate yourself to take action. For example, instead of placing the mat in the living room, stick a note on the TV screen saying ’10 minutes of stretches’.
3. Intentionally Create New Patterns of Thinking - Create a new thought pattern using the ‘X means Y’ model. For example, if you want to be more relaxed and happy when you get home from work, repeat the mantra ‘Coming in through the door means a smile’. If you’re nervous about making phone calls, repeat ‘phone calls mean deep breaths’. This intentional conditioning will help you be more aware of your actions and behaviors, by using the ‘slow brain’.