Welcome to 2020!!!! It’s a new decade, a new year and now is the time that we are choosing what we would like to see in the months ahead. We might be setting goals for our health, our relationships, our finances, professional goals, etc.
Statistics show that only about 8% of New Year’s goals are kept past January. SAY WHAT?!? All too often, as day to day life takes over, we forget our goals and fall back into learned habits.
Often times this is linked to neuroscience – basically, our brain is wired to go back to our old habits unless we reprogram those pathways. Isn’t this what I talk about in our adjustments daily?
So, how do we rewire our brains.
Number one, think of it like training a dog. If you use the same word over and over and the dog doesn’t obey, that word becomes useless because it isn’t associated with a change. First step is to stop using the word resolutions. Where does that word come from anyway?!?
Instead, adopt a new mindset to break the habit loop. So we are focusing on mindset and not resolutions.
Number two, there are three stages to forming a habit. Cue, routine and reward. A cue is, for example, I came home from work tired. The routine is to open a beer and bag of chips and sit on the couch. The reward is the dopamine in your brain that gets released from the chemicals in the food and drink.
A way to reprogram this is to change the routine and reward when you come home tired. Maybe your goal is to work out after work. So, instead, leave your workout clothes where you see them when you come home. Or maybe you drive straight to the gym and don’t come home first. The most important part of breaking that loop is to have a reward so the brain associates reward with the new routine. Even if it’s a piece of chocolate after the workout to get the chemicals released, do it. I know, I just gave you permission to eat chocolate – I said one piece by the way.
If you want to learn more about your neurology and how you can set yourself up for success, click the contact button below and we can help you reach your goals. Dr. Mandy takes care of people with chronic health issues including but not limited to autoimmune challenges, hormonal imbalances, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, headaches, etc. If you or someone you know is suffering from this, it will be hard to keep those New Year’s resolutions. Contact us today for a complimentary consult to determine if we can help you.