Читать книгу SNAP! - Gary Small - Страница 21

People in the planning phase have overcome their ambivalence; they know what they want to achieve and are sufficiently motivated. Many in this phase begin experimenting with various strategies, embracing some and discarding others.

To ensure progress through the planning phase, it’s important to establish a concrete blueprint for change. Brainstorming with a therapist, friend, or family member can be helpful when deciding which strategies to try. Just the process of writing down several possible approaches can accelerate one’s progression.

Jackson’s busy work schedule made it impossible for him to get to the gym during the week, so he compiled a list of ways to squeeze in some cardiovascular conditioning every day at work. He started by taking the stairs instead of the elevator to his office on the eighth floor. Of course, he wasn’t in good enough shape to climb all eight flights right away, so he began by climbing one flight up each day for the first week, two flights the next week, and so forth.

Ambivalence may still occur during the planning phase. Reviewing your reasons and motivators for change may assist you in getting to the bottom of your ambivalence and overcoming it. Understanding any lingering feelings that are causing resistance to change can help make your plans more concrete so you can move forward.

Changing Your Personality Alters Your Brain

When we alter our personality, we also change our brain. For each phase of change, different brain regions become engaged and work together to solidify our new behaviors and traits. When practicing a new behavior, the prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain) sends signals to the midbrain, which then releases the “feel good” chemical messenger dopamine as a reward for the new, better behavior or personality trait. Another region, the striatum, coordinates these signals, and if the new trait doesn’t pan out, dopamine declines, the behavior is less rewarding, and we are less likely to adopt it. However, if the new behavior or trait is effective in bringing about the desired result, then the brain’s sensorimotor cortex and infralimbic cortex work together to strengthen the neural connections and help transform the new actions into habits so we can sustain them for the long haul.