Breaking the Habit

There are times in our lives, when we to say to ourselves, to another, or to the Universe, “Enough is enough!” We want something different. What we are experiencing is too painful, too much, not in our best interest, or not what our spirit is calling us to do or be.

Getting to a point of saying “enough is enough” and being ready to experience something different is the first step toward affecting a meaningful change in our lives. However, change does not happen simply by wanting it to happen. It requires us to do something different. We often attempt to change the condition by maneuvering the external: we change jobs, relationships, or locations. These may affect temporary change, but to affect lasting change we must change our beliefs, and our beliefs are thoughts that we continue to think and give energy to.

It is a simple truth, and not always easy to do. In many ways changing our habitual thinking is like recovering from an addiction. Just as we can become addicted to a substance, we can become addicted to ways we think about ourselves, others, and the Universe.

I admit it: I am addicted to caffeine. By drinking coffee every morning for years, I have conditioned my body and emotions to the effects of caffeine. In simple terms, caffeine causes increased neuron firing in the brain that sends signals to the body to which the body reacts by increasing the heart rate, increasing blood flow to muscles, and accelerating many bodily functions. It is a stimulant. I feel good when I have my caffeine in the morning. If I do not have caffeine every morning, my body reacts. It reacts with a headache and sluggishness. I feel irritable as well. The body and the emotions get accustomed to feeling the sensations of the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) stimulated by caffeine, and it rebels when those chemicals are removed.

A similar process happens in the brain as a result of our thinking. The brain is constantly firing neurons and releasing neurotransmitters in response to our thoughts. And, our emotions and body respond accordingly.

When we understand how the brain functions, we can see that by changing our thinking, we can create new neural networks, thus changing our physical and emotional responses.

Each of us has a habitual way of thinking about ourselves, others, the Universe and about how they are all related. Fearful thoughts, which include worry, judgment, blame, criticism and the like produce chemicals that cause us to feel anxious, agitated, or depressed; while thoughts of love, which include acceptance, appreciation, and gratitude release chemicals to which the body and emotions respond with peace, affection, and compassion. Just as the emotions and the body become accustomed to the effects of caffeine or other substance, so do they become accustomed and adjusted to the effects of our thoughts.

If the chemicals change, or are absent, the body and emotions react. The body and emotions do not know what to do with this new information. Emilie Cady in Lessons in Truth refers to this process as “chemicalization.” If one is accustomed to feeling depressed, angry or sad, due to a habitual way of thinking and being in the world, it is going to feel strange to be peaceful, joyful and free. Even though it might seem that experiencing these new feelings would be a relief, it often stimulates discomfort and a temptation to revert to the known way in order to recreate the familiar.

Understanding the reason why it is sometimes difficult to affect lasting changes in our lives may help us to have compassion for ourselves when it seems that change is not happening as quickly or as easily as we would like. It may also help us to move through the discomfort knowing that it is part of the process. Lasting changes in our lives result from a change in consciousness, and a change in consciousness requires a renewed way of thinking. Are you ready to make that change?

If so, I encourage you to start paying attention to your thoughts now. I’ll hold the vision of change with you as we begin our new pathways together.