Everywhere you go there are self-help guides, top tips for this or that and endless articles telling you what to eat, how to exercise and how to relax etc. So with all this great advice what is stopping us from being the healthiest and happiest humans on the planet?
Some of us manage to change our lifestyles, at least for a few days or even a week but changing our habits that form our lifestyle is not a quick process, research indicates its take around 30 days. For many of the people I have worked with the process of making changes requires a new way of thinking about their behaviour, patience and perseverance. Understanding the psychophysiological process involved in how we keep our minds and bodies strong and adaptive is key to making changes that become part of who you are rather than a to do list.
I help people make changes to their thinking and lifestyles, I don't tell them what to change or how to do this or that, but I explain the science and help them become more aware of how their body and brain responds to stress and how this affects their behaviour. I guide them as they find their own way to be less anxious, more focused, less impulsive, more patient..
Underpinning our ability to respond to situations in positive and helpful ways is self-regulation. Whether we want to bounce back after a set back, respond to our child calmly or motivate ourselves to get our work done on time, our ability to self-regulate makes these behaviours possible. Our brain and body are designed to be in a state of balance this enables all our systems to function at their optimal level. However, our modern environment with its increasing number of stressor upsets this balance and our bodies and minds keep the score. When our brain and body are out of balance our thinking becomes more negative and the choices we make for ourselves regarding our wellbeing are unhelpful. Healthy self-regulation enables thinking part of our brain to stay online and with this comes healthy choices, well-being and resilience.
