Neuroplasticity Pt. 1

Happy Monday! I wanted to take a break from our diamond conversation to talk a little about neurons.

Recently I spoke to a friend who was telling me that since having a negative encounter with a supervisor at work he has been dreading going. When I asked him how it feels when he arrives at his desk and begins his work for the day, he told me he felt “insignificant, hurt and submissive.”

We explored his pre-work thought process;

“In the morning, I keep replaying how helpless and foolish I felt when my boss scolded me for doing something I thought was really helpful. It’s like they just want me to sit down and shut up.”

My friend talked about this visualization he kept playing back in his mind and when he went to work, it played out in real life. He continued to feel foolish and powerless.

Here’s the thing; neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that when we make connections in our mind to an experience and repeat that formula, we are likely to have the same results because we are strengthening that neural pathway. The more we repeat an experience, the more it becomes ingrained in us.

I was not surprised that he was continuing to find unhappiness at his workplace because his neural pathways to create this narrative had become so strong. I could tell it was having a trickle down effect on his general well-being, he seemed sad and had less energy to do the things he loved.

Stay tuned for part two,

Alexandra