Seriously, I am reading a fascinating and very hopeful book called, yes, "Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom" by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
As a person who's brain default mode seems to be focused on tales of anxiety and ruination, I'm eager to learn how to rewire the circuitry to give me a more optimistic, cheerful, and hopeful script. The thing is, and I find this oddly reassuring, my brain is NOT acting out in a self-destructive way on purpose! It is acting out in exactly the way that evolution has created.
Back in the day, when neurons started firing in ways that ensured survival of the species, we all got hardwired to perceive threats. So, even today, our brains are always scanning the horizon for predators. Hanson notes that our brains typically detect negative information much more quickly than positive information: "The brain is drawn to bad news." And once a negative event is perceived and experienced, our brilliant brains store that away for future reference to keep us safe from it happening again! We've got Velcro brains when it comes to negative experiences. We have a negativity bias!
But who wants to go around constantly worrying and perceiving threats -- especially when no real threat exists? I sure don't, because I tell you from a lifetime of experience, it's exhausting and NO FUN! And did you know that "even a single episode of major depression can reshape circuits of the brain to make future episodes more likely"? I'm in trouble there! So what to do? Rewire!
If positive events get short-shrift compared to a negative ones, how can we overcome this imbalance? We must focus on the positive! Oh, Pollyanna! But it's more than just donning a pair of rose-colored glasses; it's literally teaching our neurons to have a little "pleasant" party, shooting out feel good chemicals that make us float around in a big blue pool of happy memories.
Given our brain's bummer tendency to focus on the negative, taking in the positive takes some effort. We have to override the default system. How? First, never take anything good for granted. Often we perceive "good" as "neutral" unless it's something completely out of the ordinary like winning the Power Ball lottery or going on a date with Brad Pitt. But really, there is good all around us -- the color of our favorite sweater, the feel of the breeze on a hot summer day, the first sip of a Chai latte.
Next, savor. That's the thing -- stop the auto-pilot race through our lives and savor. Really take in the moments that give us pleasure; breathe in the moment, see the moment, feel the moment. That's Mindfulness. It takes slowing down and paying attention. But when we do, we begin to build a new brain...one that will always be working hard to keep us safe, but one that won't work so much overtime on that task. We are building a brain that will be in balance and allow for peace, contentment, and appreciation of life's joyous bounty.
At least that's what I'm getting so far, but I've only finished Chapter 3. That's enough right now though, to keep me going. So, I've closed my book as I sit in my soft green chair, glancing out the big picture window framing the buildings downtown and the mountains to the east, massive banks of while clouds moving across a blue-gray sky, sunlight filtering down to the cedars swaying in a gentle breeze. Taking in this moment, along with my hot cup of coffee, and the sound of the birds chirping at the front yard feeder, I am content. I am content. In just this moment, I am finally, fully, peacefully content.©
Namaste, donnajurene
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