Sunday Journal Prompt

“Positive change and growth comes from creating new habits and patterns that in turn create alternate brain circuits.”

- Dr. Brian K. Nichols, clinical psychologist

Repetitive use of a cart path in Pompeii, Italy carved a channel into the stone. Around 2,000 years later, the groove remains. We form our own grooves in life—the way we are used to doing things: what we eat, what we do after work, who we spend time with, the way we react to certain people or situations. According to Dr. Nichols, “It’s as though these patterns, which consist of how we think, feel, and act, cut a groove in our brains and form circuits that get easier to access and move faster each time we repeat the pattern.”

Some grooves are like ruts or potholes; others are so ingrained that they may feel like trenches. Whatever the case may be, if we’re always doing things the same way, how can we grow? Forming new grooves—new habits—promotes growth. Cutting new grooves establishes new circuits in the brain, creating new neural pathways we can reinforce by repeating new, positive habits.

What new grooves would you like to develop? What would be a first step?

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Meditation helps relieve our subjective levels of anxiety and depression, and improve attention, concentration and overall psychological well-being.”

– Alice G. Walton, “7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change the Brain,” Forbes 

 

The scientific term for the area of the brain responsible for mind-wandering (“monkey mind”) and self-referential thoughts (the “me” impulse) is called the default mode network (DMN). The word default means failure or neglect. A person who defaults on a loan fails to pay financial debts. Unless we select a new pattern, our computers revert to a default font. Our iPhones have default ringtones—sounds we didn’t choose.

 

The mind-wandering that occurs in the default mode network is typically linked to ruminating and worrying—which can reduce our level of happiness. A Stanford study about Alzheimer’s disease showed that this same area of the brain is closely involved with episodic memory processing.

 

Yale researchers found that mindfulness meditation quiets the DMN, enabling us to move out of the negative tailspin that mind-wandering can lead us and have more peace. Just as we need to make an effort to repay our loans or reset tech-device default settings, taking action to train our brains can reduce the impact of our default tendencies. 

What steps can you take to train your brain and reduce the impact of its default mode?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

- Anais Nin

 

 

Sometimes it seems easier—for us and the people around us—to stick with the status quo, to not make waves. However, over time, avoiding the pursuit of what we want prevents us from being our authentic selves. And when we aren’t sharing our full selves with those around us, we suffer, as does the world. 

What is it in you that’s waiting to blossom? What’s one step you can take toward becoming your authentic self?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

 - Desmond Tutu 

 

As beautiful as winter is, it’s tough on me, a California native. The bare trees and bitter temperatures—just seven degrees today—make everyday tasks and errands harder. Yet this season I’ve discovered a surprise: a nest in the bushes outside my kitchen window. A family of birds must have resided there over the spring and summer months unbeknownst to me. It took the ravages of winter to reveal the beauty of what was right in front of me.
 

What joys have revealed themselves during bitter times of your life?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'”

 

- Lord Alfred Tennyson

 

For many in my life, 2016 was a rough year. As we ring in 2017, we have the perfect opportunity to renew our sense of hope for a brighter year ahead. American inventor and businessman Charles Kettering viewed each new year as creating a forum for development: “Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.”

I’ve begun a New Year’s tradition of choosing a word to guide me throughout the months. Last year I chose moksa, the Sanskrit word for “effortlessness.” Establishing and sticking to a new cooking routine helped me achieve an effortless, “no big deal” perspective on meal planning, which had previously seemed overwhelming. Dharana, which means “focus” or “concentration,” is my word for 2017. Rather than working intermittently on several different large projects, my plan is to devote my full attention to one at a time.

What progress do you hope to make during the coming year?