Prepare Your Brain for Change

A tired and stressed out brain hates change.  Change means learning, something new, creating new connections that lead to a new neural network.  And, this doesn’t go well if the brain isn’t ready.  Too often our work lives make it hard for our brain to learn – demands of our jobs and our unhealthy sleeping and eating habits.

This Tuesday’s Reading “Prepare Your Brain for Change” http://blip.tv/hbrchannel/prepare-your-brain-for-change-6562852>, is a short video by Margaret Moore.  Moore is CEO of the Wellcoaches Corporation, an organization that trains and supports professional health and wellness coaches.

Moore suggests four steps to ready our brain for change:

1. Improve key habits and give your brain the biological assets it needs – brains produce nerve growth factors when you exercise.  And, sleep plus a good diet enable consolidation of learning.
2. Exercise your brain.  Try new ideas and perceptions by practicing cognitive agility to build brain flexibility improving access to your working memory.
3. Take a break.  Your brain tires quickly – at least every hour, get up, do something that changes your pace before returning to the task you are working on.  
4. Let your mind wander.  When the going gets rough, summon a positive thought.  While negative emotions impure thinking, memory, creativity, and strategic perspective, positive emotions improve capabilities in all these areas.  (The setting sun, a majestic water fall, soaring mountains are all positive images iIgo to.)

Consider finding a time this week to evaluate how you’re prepared for change.  Maybe, some change in your practices is called for.

Have a great week.  .  .  .     jim