Why Change Is So Painful: Your Brain On Change

CHANGE HURTS! Get over it. 😜 kidding. Sort of. Let me help you get over it...

What do you wanna change? Career? Relationship status? Country? Wanna change your pessimistic outlook to a more positive one? Wanna change from a crappy past to an amazing future? Change your diet? Your sleeping patterns? Any other habits?

DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU WANT TO CHANGE - JUST KNOW THAT IT HURTS. AND THAT'S NORMAL.

And, it only hurts for a little while :)

WHY DOES IT HURT?

Quite simply, the brain doesn't like change. The brain is wired to keep things the same because that's comfortable and 'safe'. Even if it's not actually 'safe' - for example, drinking a bottle of vodka every day is not safe. But, if you've been drinking a bottle a day for a while it becomes familiar. And that's the brain's definition of safe: FAMILIAR.

👉Change means doing something UNfamiliar.😨

👉Something outside of your comfort zone.😲

👉That brings discomfort.😣

👉Discomfort is pain.😖

👉The brain doesn't like pain.😭

👉The brain runs from pain.😨

👉Therefore the brain runs from change.😱

That's pretty much all that's going on. Humans are quite simple creatures!

SO NOW YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES ✔✔

1. The first is the most common, autopilot 'choice'.

👉Wait until the current state (relationship/ diet/ job) becomes MORE painful than the prospect of change. 😵

👉Staying the same is now the source of greater pain. 😨

👉The brain doesn't like pain.😭

👉Therefore the brain runs from staying the same. 😱

👉Now you run towards change with open arms. 😃

2. Purse the change regardless of the pain

👉You know that change is painful.😒

👉You expect the pain and learn strategies to manage it. 😌

👉You persevere until the new career/ relationship status/ diet/ sleep pattern becomes familiar, and hence is no longer painful. 💪

👉Job done. 🎉

Simple.

YOU CONTROL YOUR BRAIN

Your brain is not in control. YOU are. Many people think the brain is them. But if you were your brain, you wouldn't say 'my' brain. You wouldn't speak from a place of ownership of your brain. Just like you say 'my car'. You are not the car. You drive it. 🚗

You are the conscious awareness that drives the brain. 💫 Sure, it does it's own thing - sub consciously it has a hell of a lot going on that we're not aware of. But, I just made you aware of some of it - that whole running from pain thing. Once you start becoming self-aware, you can take the steering wheel. 👍

You don't have to wait until things get so bad in your current life that you HAVE to change. Unless you really want to, up to you. Just know that you have a choice.

Which path will you take?

❤