Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words

Rewiring Your Brain

Introduction

When you do not feel safe or you are stepping out of your comfort zone, your Prefrontal Cortex, the rational part of your brain, will go offline and not come back until your emotions are back under control. This is a huge deal for individuals who need to shift relationally or even professionally.

Literally...

Your thinking process gets hijacked

And the Limbic part of your brain will put you into a state of fight, flight, or freeze.

It is at this point that your willpower and reasoning will no longer be effective, and you will get reduced to the reactivity of a three-year-old who’s brain does not yet process logically.

To interrupt your brain’s potentially crippling shut off system, it is important that you become aware of TWO things:

That you are getting fearful or anxious.
That the Limbic system is a survival mode that is trying to protect you.

You cannot change what you do not recognize.

So, the first part in changing something is to recognize you are being emotionally triggered. The more consistently you recognize that your peace of mind is walking out the door, the more you will be on your way to taking back the controls.

Another thing to understand is that every time you think a new thought, your brain creates a new neurological pathway. In the beginning it is very tiny and easily dismissed, but with repetition it will grow bigger and stronger until eventually it just goes there on auto pilot.

Add to the thought a strong emotion and your brain can potentially weld the two together creating some interesting dynamics that may initially not make sense to you. For example, practicing a new skill while listening to a specific song can create a strong association between the skill and the music.

The good news is...

Whether you are in the process of just starting a new thought or have a long history of a negative way of thinking, consistency and using pictures is the key to changing both.

Exercise

1. To get the logical part of your brain to kick back in, the first thing you need to tell your brain is that, “You are safe.” Remember, your brain is thinking that you are in danger and is subconsciously being triggered by something.

2. After you tell your brain out loud that you are safe, you also want to follow it with a positive emotion like laughing. You make a choice to do this because your brain simply does not associate a positive emotion like laughter or even smiling with danger.

3. Next, distract yourself. Look at something like a wall or your shoe and describe in detail the color, texture, size, position, etc. Focus on anything but your fearful emotions because by shifting your focus, you give it the message that you are safe.

4. Then, when you are calm, picture yourself as an overcomer and no longer being triggered. Keep the image and emotions positive. This will allow your brain to build up new neurological pathways.

5. Pictures are the language of the emotional brain, so rather than trying to use words to talk yourself down, PICTURE yourself as being ok. It doesn't matter what negative emotion you are struggling with, PICTURE the opposite and give your limbic brain a different message.

6. When picturing a better thought, use ALL 5 senses and really put yourself into the picture. The more you do the more your brain will be convinced that this is your new reality. The reason why this works is because the Limbic part of the brain cannot tell the difference between the past, present or future.

So, by creating a future picture, it will actually think that you are in the present.

Now how beautiful is that!

Remember, as you keep working the tools, they will start working for you. You will be able to step out of your comfort zone and into the realm of new and better possibilities.

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