Be Your Art

Be the designer of your life. Write the intention and create your own unique program. What we do in our minds can grow our own reality.

Much research has been done on the impact neuropeptides have on our way of being. Neuropeptides are molecules used by nerve cells to communicate with each other via cell surface receptors. We can establish colonies of receptor sites for various emotional states. Our bodies adapt to following our mind’s lead and lay down numerous receptor sites to make our behaviors easier to accomplish. In other words, we can alter our physical body through our mental processes.

Addiction is an uncontrolled emotional state that we have hot- wired, (a nerve cell pathway), to bypass the conscious though of our more evolved brain. For efficiency a long forged behavior is delegated to our more innate, reactive, rapid- fire amygdala brain. It takes a past behavior and makes it happen now in a flash. The past is imposed on the present. These associations are an essential survival mechanism and for this reason are difficult to override whether they are created through compulsive emotional needs or physical.

Today’s leading research tells us that our more evolved thoughts are generated from the neo-cortex or prefrontal lobe part of our brain that envelops, like a ring, the brainstem and the emotionally primitive amygdala. In learning new behaviors we must connect with new nerve cells and lay a path of new connections. We do this from the executive part of our brain, the prefrontal lobe. Driving behavior from the prefrontal thinking brain is like driving a truck uphill with a VW engine. Change is exhausting.

To strengthen the prefrontal lobe command center we must first eliminate stress. Otherwise, the amygdala will derail any prefrontal brain action taking a survival hold on us. Because stress depletes the body of the cortisol it needs to stimulate adrenaline in case of emergency, the primitive brain, wired for flight or fight, cannot allow cortisol depletion and thus retains control. Improvement is also derailed.

Now that we understand the physiology we can try the following strategies to muscle up the prefrontal lobe, reduce stress and loosen the amygdala’s grip,

• Exercise – shoots all kinds of feel good hormones into our bodies defusing stress and cortisol release.

• Knowing and engaging our cognitive and emotional strengths - we can use our character strengths to fortify us.

• Mindfulness exercises or focused attention - relaxes the amygdala’s hold. Close your eyes and listen to your breath going in and out. Be present only to your body.

• Drop the ego mind – get over our self, our procrastinations, and our denial.

• Find our blind spots, our self-deceptions - stop piling up lots of information about the threat. Stop justifying unhealthy behaviors.

• Elevate the greatness – not our greatness per say, the beauty the splendor of each universal moment. Be an optimist.

We must always believe in hope, it is our life- line. Hope is innately our gift from the divine.

Bibliography
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
The Emotional Brain, Brian LeDoux