Neuroplasticity: Our Brain’s Ability to Bring About Positive Change

The way in which our reactions to stressful situations and events changes over time reflects back at us just how far we have travelled, how we have brought about positive change. All of us experience triggers when we become over-stressed or anxious, but it is how we deal with those triggers that is important in our evolution and continuing growth.

I know personally that driving situations have been a trigger for me for a long time, and I have seen a huge improvement over the years as I’ve found techniques and mechanisms to change my reactions into responses.

What do I mean by reaction or response? I define a reaction as being our immediate ingrained or instinctive behaviour following a triggering event. The reaction occurs without hesitation or conscious processing. A response, on the other hand, comes about as a result of taking time (whether a moment or a longer interval) to examine what the trigger is, how it has impacted us, and how we wish to deal with the situation.

I often encourage clients to “look for the gap”. The gap is that often almost invisible moment between the triggering event occurring and our seemingly immediate reaction to it. When you are mindful and in the moment, you can catch that moment of non-action and expand it to be as large as you need it to be. Rather like the Tardis or Mary Poppins’ carpet bag – that moment, that gap, is larger on the inside than it is on the outside.

But first we have to begin to recognise our triggers. These may not be consciously identifiable, but very often can be experienced sensorily by changes in the way our bodies feel. As we become more attuned to those shifts, we are able to catch those triggering events earlier and begin to make conscious choices as to how we want to behave, to respond.

One of the wonderful things about the human brain is its ability to rewire itself and allow us to change the way in which we see and interact with the world around us. If you would like to know more, or to begin your journey to positive change in any aspect of your own life, please get in touch for a no obligation chat.