Walking through the Long grass…
Imagine you’re in a field of beautiful long grass. It’s grown tall so you can touch it with the tips of your fingers, you can smell the wildflowers that have grown amongst it in the fertile soil. You want to get to the other side of the field, and you see a well-trodden path, an avenue through the grass straight across to the other side.
Without a moment’s thought you start to walk along this route to get to the other side of the field.
But wait.
Is this really the way you want to go? Or have you chosen this way, because of the well-trodden path that has guided you?
The field of our brains
This field is like the intricate map of our brains. There are neural pathways that have been formed over time which reflect different thought processes we have. When we have these certain ways of thinking, that have been reinforced over a long period of time, it creates neural pathways that are like this well-trodden path across the field. They are so well engrained, that they are our natural default way of thinking about things and how we understadn the world.
Now, these pathways may be really supportive and helpful for us. They may be...
Believing in your own skills and abilities to get something done
Knowing you can learn new things
Remembering the recipe for that delicious dish
Thinking empathically about a friend
But there may also be engrained ways of thinking, that can be less helpful for us, in getting to where we want to be. It may be...
Feeling like people will judge you
Thinking that you’re not good enough to do something
Believing that you could never do X because of Y or Z
Assuming your worth is linked to your productivity
So if this is the case, can we actually do anything about it? Can we change any of these thought processes to become more helpful and supportive for us?
Yes. We can. And that is where neuroplasticity comes in. Our brains do have the capacity to retrain, change and create new and different neural pathways.
Carving a new path
Stepping back into the field. Before you walk down that well-trodden path, you notice actually that direction is not the best one to take. You realise that an alternative path would get you to a better place. You take a big step, deep into the long grass. And another one. With each step forwards you feel the tall grass against your legs, you use your arms to steady your balance on the uneven ground. You are carving-out your very own new path through the field.
Just as you can walk through the long grass, you can create a new neural pathway in your brain. At first it won’t come as naturally. It might feel awkward and uncomfortable. And you will need more concentrated effort to get through. But over time, with repetition and practice, the more you walk through this new path, the grass will get worn down, the path will get easier and it will feel more natural. And the old path - because it’s been left well alone, will slowly grow over and dissipate.
What next?
It can be a liberating feeling to know that we can actually retrain our ways of thinking to support us in a better way. And the impact of doing this can be truly transformational to our lives.
So what new pathways would you like create for yourself?
What old ways of thinking do you want to leave behind, and let the grass grow over?
Having a dedicated space, and a structured coaching conversation is a great way of being able to notice and understand your own thought processes, which may be serving you, and which may not.
Coaching can support you to examine and visualise new ways of thinking you’d like to move towards, work out the best path for you to get there, and support you to maintain this in a sustainable way into the future.