The Agile Mind: Navigating Change

Flux, uncertainty and disruption are ever-present features of life. And while you have no doubt navigated many changes in your life so far, have you ever experienced some internal resistance to change?

In The Neuroscience of Change^[1], health psychologist, Kelly McGonigal, points out that “our lives are defined by constant change.”

Yet many people find that leaning into change can be hard.  It’s difficult to replace old habits with healthier ones (think of a recent New Year’s resolution).

McGonigal notes that the mind operates out of habit. Therefore, if we view a “change event” as a threat, it flicks on the brain’s stress switch, triggering well-worn reactions. For example, a person is on deadline and feeling stressed, and before they know it they are buying chocolate from the office vending machine, despite a recent decision to lose weight.

Briefly, here’s why. Picture an iceberg: the small tip sticking out of the water represents the conscious mind - the home of our willpower and rational thinking. The huge mass of ice underneath the water is the powerful subconscious mind.

As Developmental Biologist, Bruce Lipton, explains In The Biology of Belief^[2], during our first six years of life we inherit templates of emotions, perceptions and reactions from the people around us. These ‘learned experiences’ are downloaded into the subconscious mind. This programming generally operates outside of our conscious awareness.

Now back to the person on deadline, eating chocolate at their desk - in this instance the subconscious reflex of ‘comfort eating’ has over-ridden the conscious intention to lose weight. When we are stressed, default behaviours are reactivated.

As David Gelles puts it in Mindful Working,^[3] mindfulness gives us “the mental flexibility to choose one experience over another.” It enables us to train the brain to experience new challenges, difficult situations and uncertainty, without letting them overwhelm us. 

So next time you find yourself reacting to change or perceived stress by reaching for a treat, take a moment to consider if you are acting out of a subconscious reflex. Can you make a more mindful choice instead?

Listen to our fascinating podcast with Standford University's Dr Kelly McGonigal exploring the neuroscience of change. 

^[1] K McGonigal, Neuroscience of Change, Sounds True, 2012

^[2] B Lipton, The Biology of Belief, 2015

^[3] D Gelles, Mindful Work, 2015, Profile Books, p86