We often hear about connecting, making connections and using connections. These are all important and beneficial to us. However, some of the connections we make don’t serve us.
Our brains do not distinguish between good and bad connections. So, if we have a persistent unhealthy thought over a length of time (and often we don’t realise that we are doing this) or a fright or shock, the brain will actually physically grow a connection and the thought becomes a bad habit or an automatic reaction to recurring similar situations.
For instance, if in the past you had an unpleasant phonecall, say about a relative dying, then the shock of this call can grow a connection in your brain, so that, for years afterwards, every time the phone rings, you get that same feeling of trepidation, worry or sadness, even though you are happy and stable in your life and have no reason to fear incoming calls.
It happens to me when I ring my daughter and she does not answer the phone. Immediately my ‘connection’ kicks in
and I become worried and panicky about what might have happened to her – and I usually think about the worst things first. These are the connections that don’t serve us and which can be hard to break.
A first step to breaking them could be becoming aware that this is happening and knowing that these feelings are not real, but simply an automatic reaction. If we persist in ‘rewiring’ our brains, not giving in to these worrying thoughts, and filling this space in our minds with more positive thoughts, distracting our thoughts, then the link will become weaker and weaker and we will grow a new connection instead which benefits and guides us to a happier life.
So…. go on, break some of those old, outdated connections and with awareness create some wonderful new ones.
©Birgit Barrett 08/11
Our brains do not distinguish between good and bad connections. So, if we have a persistent unhealthy thought over a length of time (and often we don’t realise that we are doing this) or a fright or shock, the brain will actually physically grow a connection and the thought becomes a bad habit or an automatic reaction to recurring similar situations.
For instance, if in the past you had an unpleasant phonecall, say about a relative dying, then the shock of this call can grow a connection in your brain, so that, for years afterwards, every time the phone rings, you get that same feeling of trepidation, worry or sadness, even though you are happy and stable in your life and have no reason to fear incoming calls.
It happens to me when I ring my daughter and she does not answer the phone. Immediately my ‘connection’ kicks in
and I become worried and panicky about what might have happened to her – and I usually think about the worst things first. These are the connections that don’t serve us and which can be hard to break.
A first step to breaking them could be becoming aware that this is happening and knowing that these feelings are not real, but simply an automatic reaction. If we persist in ‘rewiring’ our brains, not giving in to these worrying thoughts, and filling this space in our minds with more positive thoughts, distracting our thoughts, then the link will become weaker and weaker and we will grow a new connection instead which benefits and guides us to a happier life.
So…. go on, break some of those old, outdated connections and with awareness create some wonderful new ones.
©Birgit Barrett 08/11