How To Train Your Brain For More Self-Control/ Permanent Weight Loss
Your brain is remarkably responsive to experience. Practice math every day, and your brain gets better at math. Practice worrying everyday, and your brain gets really good at worrying. Practice concentrating, and your brain becomes proficient in concentrating. The brain actually remodels itself based on how we direct it. This means it takes on new neural circuitry based on the activities we direct it to engage in. Some parts of the brain actually become denser like a muscle bulking from exercise. This is great news because it means we can train our brain to get better at self-control!
We can do this through a a simple, 5 minute mediation. Meditation increases all of our self-control skills including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self-awareness. Meditation increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, in much the same way that weight lifting increases blood flow to your muscles. When blood flow to the prefrontal cortex is increased, we make the most of our brain’s potential, becoming master’s of self and our destiny.
Here’s how to get started:
Sit still and stay put. By staying still you’ll learn how to not follow every single impulse your brain and body produces.
Turn your attention to your breath. Silently say “inhale” as you breathe in and “exhale” as you breathe out. When you notice your mind wandering, gently return it to focus on your breath. This quiets the stress and craving centers of your brain.
Notice how it feels to breathe, and notice the wandering mind. Notice the sensations of the breath flowing in and out of your nose and mouth. Sense the belly and chest expanding as you breathe in and deflating as you breathe out. When you notice yourself thinking about something else, return to saying “inhale” and “exhale”. This increases self-awareness and self-control.
Start with five minutes a day. When this becomes a habit, try ten to fifteen minutes a day. If that starts to feel like a burden, bring it back down to five minutes a day.
Meditation mimics exactly what we need to do in real life: when we catch ourselves moving away from our goal, we gently point our mind back to our goal. It’s perfect practice for when we’re about to order the fries, and redirect ourselves to order something healthier. All day long, we can catch ourselves as we’re wondering off-goal and gently guide ourselves back to what’s important to us. It’s all about getting distracted and coming back to center- which is our priorities and goals. Living our best lives isn’t rocket science- we just need to put our higher selves in charge of our decisions. Meditation is the key to doing this!
For more information on training your brain for more self-control schedule a free mini coaching session with me. We’ll discuss how to get started on your path towards losing weight and living your best overall life.