Change and Your Critter Brain

We say we want to eat healthier, work out more, try something new, get a new job, etc. Ever caught yourself having the thought, or even stating out loud, “It’s time to make a change! I’m going to (fill in the blank)!” but then find yourself having a hard time actually doing it?

The thing to understand is it’s not your fault! Well, sort of. It’s your brain.

The simple way to think about it is you have three brains and each one controls different functions in your body. The first is the Cortex or the “human brain,” it’s your conscious mind that justifies all your emotions and your actions, creates meaning, and is in charge of rationalization and reasoning. The Limbic system is the center for emotions. Finally the Brainstem or “Critter Brain” controls everything that keeps your body running (temperature regulation, balance, your heart beating, makes sure you keep breathing, that sort of thing), it’s purpose is survival, that part of your brain doesn’t care about the quality of your life, it just wants you to survive. 

When we are born till about six years old it’s like we’re small computers that are being programmed and wired to work a certain way, either by learning from our parents, other people around us, or just our personal reaction to certain situations. We program what is safe, what feels risky, creates meaning and connects it to emotions. It’s like how sometimes someone will say something and you know you shouldn’t be upset by it but here you are feeling sad or angry, your programming triggered and you have an automatic response. What does it have to do with change? When you try to do something new your Critter Brain is programmed to interpret it as something unfamiliar, the unknown is risky, and therefor threatening survival. Your body has an automatic reaction to want to keep doing what is comfortable instead.

So how does this tie into changing your health/life habits. Did you know that 98% of people that lose weight gain it back within six months? Maybe your Cortex convinced you it was finally time to stop sitting around and get your butt in gear. You start to lose that weight, you’re feeling good, and then suddenly your Critter Brain is there in the background, “what if I change and people don’t like me anymore, I don’t know if I like working out, I want to be able to eat all the foods I like, I don’t want to buy new clothes…”  and before you know it you’re back on the couch binge watching shows. We would prefer to stick it out in an unhappy relationship than risk being alone. We’d rather stay with the same shitty job because at least we have an income and don’t have to worry about searching for a new one. We stay in the same town because it’s familiar. But just because something is “safe” and comfortable doesn’t mean that you are happy and fulfilled. 

Any of this sound familiar to you? The first step is realizing it. Recognizing that it’s okay to have a certain reaction, it happens to everyone in different ways. But that it might be time to change that programming.

Challenge yourself to do something differently, change one tiny thing. Reprogram your brain to realize that you are safe, you will survive, and just maybe you’ll be able to accomplish things you only ever dreamed about.