CHANGE YOUR BRAIN—CHANGE YOUR LIFE

A Healthier You Series For more information contact Wendy Rawlings 253-661-0181

www.WendyRawlings.com

How to Rewire Your Brain

Our brains learn by building pathways from a
stimulus to a response. To better understand Set a New Destination
the process, think of how highways are built. 1. Write it down, make it clear
Many started out as cow paths that were and realistic
followed enough times that a discernible trail
was created. As people with horses and wagons Recognize what triggers you back to
started to take the trail it widened and became the old, destructive path
easier to follow. After a while it became a paved 1. Write them down together
one-lane road that grew to a two-lane road. The with what you can do to
most frequently used roads were widened, avoid them
2. Create a plan for what you
graded and became Superhighways.
will do if you get triggered
The same principles are at work in our brains Look for alternate behaviors and
when we acquire new knowledge and behaviors. rewards that support your plan
The first time we learn or try something new, 1. Instead of food, connect to
our thinking brains are hard at work guiding us people, music, reading,
through the process. As we repeat the new walking, service, etc.
thing, we need to think about it less and less as 2. Remember the reasons you
our mental cow path becomes a paved two-lane want to be healthy
road. If we continue to do the new thing, our 3. Do the emergency plan from
brain builds a superhighway by widening the step 2 when needed
neuron pathways and paving them with myelin
Make a decision based on your
in order to reduce the time between stimulus highest goals
and response. 1. Recognize yourself for
successful choices
When we quit using pathways, they are still 2. If you’re not successful,
there but become weaker. As we change our evaluate what you learned
lifestyle we being the dual process of building and what you will do
new pathways to a healthier destination and differently next time
weakening old, destructive pathways—rewiring 3. Never give up
our brain.