Strengthening Your Intellectual Resilience
A common theme I hear when working with clients is the seemingly insurmountable challenge of changing unwanted behavior. I know from personal experience how difficult this is. I do something I don’t want to do. I have looked at the underlying causes, I have identified strategies to implement change but when the opportunity to practice arises, I default to old patterns. It’s a frustrating learning experience but I also know first hand change is achievable. Continuing to practice the new skills is useful so stay in there. I have an idea on how to boost your learning curve. Exercise your brain.
Because change involves neural pathways in our brain, it seems that if we keep the intellectual part of our brain active, growing and pliable, perhaps it will be easier to create new neural pathways. I have a challenge for you. In addition to the work you are already doing to create change in your life, add some brain games.
Many such games exist. You can find them in book and electronic form. I use the Lumosity app to challenge myself nearly daily. As my memory, problem solving and attention skills are stretched, I’m noticing a significant increase in my ability to also solve emotional issues by implementing healthy skills. My experience is not unique and is supported by the research on developing resilience (see my previous post on this). Help yourself out, exercise your brain!
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