What experiences are you allowing that rewire your brain to make you less than you could be?

Your brain can’t tell the difference between a blessing in disguise and a poisoned chalice.
It just adapts.

Last month, I shared with you my conviction that Relationship Friction shapes us into who we can grow into. Its very grittiness, its inherent discomfort supports your personal development.

While obviously comfortable and even warranted at times, avoidance of Relationship Friction, by encouraging complacency, in fact makes you ill-equipped for all those curveballs life loves to throw.

Today, I wish to sound another alarm bell: neuroplasticity.

Your brain’s remarkable ability to rewire itself in response to experience allows you to roll with the punches, overcome adversity and continue to thrive.

Caution ⚠️
Neuroplasticity is a double-edged sword.

Addiction is a prime example: the brain rewires itself to crave the substance bringing it pleasure resulting, among other harmful effects, in painful withdrawal symptoms when the drug is unavailable.

What are you exposing your brain to?

If your work environment is toxic, your brain will adapt to that too.

Many coachees with whom I collaborated on an external job search expressed near amazement at their new employer’s culture and working practices. Their brain had forgotten how else it could be!

Adaptation isn’t always growth.

Here are the three main factors which turn neuroplasticity into a trap:

  • An unhealthy lifestyle: not just the quality of the food and drink you consume, but chronic long hours, your chair’s lack of ergonomics, and the five coffees you drink each day.
  • Your choice of content: not just the news you read, but internal comms that are fear-driven, team chats dominated by gossip and performance reviews that encourage blame.
  • The company you keep: not just whom you listen to, but promotion protocols which encourage conformity, cultures that tolerate unethical behaviour and clique mentality.

Any of the above will reduce your capacity to thrive – and not just in the office of course.

Chronic stress, persistent fatigue, constant anxiety, increasing discouragement, eventual burnout.

I am a diabetic and a chocolate addict. Chocolate throws my blood sugar off and gives me pimples. Oh wow 😔 I eliminated chocolate from my diet, my cupboards, my life time and again. Only to succumb just as often. I found a middle way: a little bit of chocolate every day: it stops the craving, I look forward to it with delight, I savour it with glee. Picture a Cheshire Cat grin.

Relationship Wisdom starts at home: how are you choosing to look after yourself?

What experiences are you curating for yourself that support your happiness and fulfilment?

 

📞  + 41 79 532 4754
📧 alexandra@coachingforinspiration.com
#coachingforinspiration

Share this article