3 ways to rewire your brain or shift your perspective…
Teacher and Parents we need to develop this skill in our kids (now more than ever)
Do you consider yourself a positive person? Or do you tend to see the negative side of things more naturally? Some people have this beautiful ability to see the sunny side of everything! It is so refreshing to be around these kind of people. I have several friends that just do this naturally. Others have to consciously work to see the positive in a situation. This is because our brains have been shaped and molded by the circumstances in our life: our upbringing, our life patterns, and our habits. The good news is this is an area of our life that we DO have control over!
I have been participating in The Hollis Co, #next90days challenge…and let me tell you, if you aren’t signed up for it, you totally should! IT’S COMPLETELY FREE! But the best part is that you will get weekly lessons emailed to you from Rachel Hollis! I started this challenge a couple weeks late, but just like anything, starting late, is better than not starting at all! In this challenge they are equipping us to live our best lives. You seriously don’t want to miss out! One of the positive things about this phase of our lives is that we actually do have time to focus on bettering ourselves. If we aren’t making time for this now, when will we?
One of the daily challenges is to keep a Gratitude Journal. Each morning listing 5 things that we are grateful for. They don’t have to be big things… the big things like health, family, house are easy to think of, but have you really looked for the little things (the sunshine, DQ Blizzards (oops, yup), blue skies, coffee, smiles, etc.
So… as I’ve been doing this each morning, I find myself asking the questions why is doing this so important and what is the science behind it? Will this practice actually change or shift my mindset?
So I did a little research! Here is what I found…
Neuroplasticity is why Daily Gratitude is so important!
NEURO-WHAT-ICITY?????
Did you know there is a phenomenon called neuroplasticity? This phenomenon explains that it’s possible to rewire the brain for positivity.
That is right people…YOUR BRAIN IS A MUSCLE that will work better when it’s used over and over and over again!!! Just like the rest of our body.
Research shows that if we can practice turning negative situations into something positive, our brain “muscle” will begin to memorize that practice. For this reason, we can develop skills through practice, effort, and persistence. And before you know it…you are becoming a more positive person without needing to put forth the effort.
Let’s Play a Game…
Think of a really tough time that you have experienced in your life….write it down.
Maybe it was a situation in your childhood that you couldn’t control, or the loss of a friend, or a move to a new home, or the loss of a parent. Maybe it was having a boss that challenged you or was difficult to work with…Whatever it is, in one sentence write it down.
Now, ask yourself how you got through it…and write that down.
Write down what actions you took to get through this time. Maybe you leaned on a friend, ask advice from others you trust or who have been through similar situations, maybe you prayed about it, or you went to therapy. Some people journal about their life. What actions did you take to get you through this time?
Finally, make a list of outcomes. Write down all the good that came from the tough time that you experienced.
You guys, this part is the hardest. Sometimes you have to really think deep about where you are RIGHT NOW and what got you there. Maybe you learned a lesson or two, came out of it stronger, gained a stronger self-identity, grew your relationship with God, learned about trust, the list goes on! Maybe the blessings in your life wouldn’t exist had you not gone through whatever it was.
Can you find the blessings in your life that came from the tough times?
Now we can start to understand why we continue to make it through those tough times! After you’ve been through enough tough times you start to see a pattern…that pattern is…situations have a way of working themselves out. You will make it through. And we make it through stronger!
If you try hard enough you will see how perfectly orchestrated each segment of your life is, like it was perfectly planned out. We can rest assured that if everything in the past worked itself out, then why wouldn’t it in the future. We have to learn to shift our perspective so that we can see the opportunities that may come from the tough times. We cannot dwell on our negative feelings in the moment. That can be toxic!
If we practice the wrong attitude and the wrong beliefs and we are always used to seeing the negative side of situations, our brain “muscle” will memorize that behavior or action. YIKES!!!
When you’ve had a lifetime of negativity (and many of us have), it’s a hard habit to break! Our upbringing, the attitudes and beliefs we were raised with, our fears, our hopes, our heartbreaks, all of it changes us based on our response to it.
It’s not what is happening to you that matters, it’s how you react to it! Your perception and attitude toward your situation is EVERYTHING!
OK…Here is where my ah-ha! comes in…
We (adults) may have some hard habits to break when it comes to our perspective and naturally being a grateful and positive person.
but…
OUR CHILDREN ARE YOUNG ENOUGH THAT WE CAN HELP THEM GROW THEIR BRAINS IN A POSITIVE WAY, BEFORE THEY TOO HAVE HARD HABITS TO BREAK… are you with me?
WE CAN TRAIN OUR KIDS BRAINS SO THEY DON’T STRUGGLE AS MUCH AS WE DO WITH PERSPECTIVE (SEEING WHAT GOOD CAN COME FROM EVEN THE WORST OF SITUATIONS)
You can shift your perspective and become more natural at seeing the positive and we can rewire our brains by doing the following:
Practice, Effort, and Persisitance..
Check out the definitions for these words.
practice: v. to teach or train through repeated action; doing it over and over again…WE CAN SO EASILY DO THIS WITH OUR KIDS!
effort: v. the use of physical or mental energy, the act or result of trying to do something.
persistance: v. firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition
All of these definitions are actions words. So what do we need to do? TAKE ACTION…do something! We can train our kids through repeated actions, using physical or mental energy, over and over even when it’s difficult!
AND HERE IS HOW TO DO IT… FOR YOURSELF AND FOR YOUR KIDS!
3 Practical Ways to Rewire your Brain:
- Daily Dish of Gratitude – Every morning begin your day by writing down 5 things that you are grateful for. Sit down with your favorite cup of coffee and Write It Down! This can be as simple as a spiral notebook, random piece of paper, or you can buy a fun journal that will be just for this purpose. You could purchase the Start Today Journal by clicking here. This is a journal made by Rachel Hollis. You can seriously use whatever is laying around your house. The ideas is that if we start our day off thinking of the good we have, we can carry that positive attitude into the rest of our day. You may also catch yourself looking for the things you are grateful for throughout your day, knowing that you will be writing it again the next morning.
- Sharing Words of Gratitude– Tell others that you are grateful for them or for something they have done. Express your gratitude to community workers, write thank you letters, tell your kids how thankful for them you are. Be specific too…tell them just what you are grateful for! You could say things like, “I’m so grateful for the one-on-one time we had together yesterday.” or “I am so grateful that you helped me with the dishes tonight.” or I’m so grateful to have been blessed to have you in my life!” TEACH YOUR KIDS THROUGH MODELING THIS BEHAVIOR! TRAIN THEIR BRAINS TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE WORDS OF GRATITUDE! This part takes a little more effort!!!
- Pay it forward– When somebody does something or when you feel grateful for something, try to find a way to pay it forward. It doesn’t even have to be to the person that you were grateful for. Just exchange one act of kindness for another. SHOW YOUR KIDS THAT WE CAN BE KIND SO OTHERS WILL FEEL GRATITUDE IN THEIR LIVES.
TEACHERS AND PARENTS HERE IS A LIST OF TOOLS YOU CAN USE AT HOME OR IN YOUR CLASSROOMS IN THE FUTURE TO HELP WORK OUR BRAIN MUSCLE MEMORY
The Growth Mindset Playbook– This is a book our staff read as a book study a couple years ago. We partnered up to read 2 paragraphs and taught each other what the chapters were about. In the middle of teaching and business of life this was a great way to get information from the book an really only read 2 chapters. It’s a good easy read with lots of great ideas for in your classroom. Click here to purchase your own copy.
Big Life Journal– I cannot say enough about this journal. My son has it and several of his friend do too! They get to choose a journal buddy (hopefully you) to discuss life situations and goals. You can get your journal by clicking here. There is a poster in the back with words of encouragement that can be torn out and hung up to help you through the day.
My son was struggling with his school work! He was feeling frustrated and I’ll be honest, so was I!!! I made him go and read his poster in the back of his Big Life Journal, until he could change the way he was thinking and feeling. I could hear him in his room giving himself a pep talk, repeating the phrase, “I can do this, I can do this.” He came out sat back down and got it done!!!
Anonymous Friend of Mine
This my friends is Neuroplacity at work! He persisted, shifted his mindset and got his work done! It takes time and patience on our end with our kids. We must help them through it. If we build up their brain muscle now when they are young they will be able to shift their perspective more naturally, without thinking about it or trying so hard.
Tips for how to explain Growth Mindset to your kids– Click here to learn ways to rewire your child’s brain for positivity. There are so many helpful ideas on this link and there is also a Parents Guide to a Growth Mindset that you can download for FREE. Very Helpful!!!
Big life journal Gratitude Kit– This is a resource that I found that included games, stories, and activities to promote creating a habit of gratitude in your children and students. Click here to view and/or purchase this kit.
TEACHERS, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT UNIT TO PURCHASE FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE TEACH GRATITUDE AND HELP OUR KIDS SHIFT THEIR PERSPECTIVE AT SCHOOL.
Student Daily Gratitude and Goals– This is a daily journal that I created for my own kids journey with building their Brain Muscle. I want them to be able to have a positive perspective and develop a growth mindset at an early age. Each morning we list 5 things that we are grateful for. Sometimes they are excited to share and other days they do not want to. The journal provides a space at the bottom to set daily goals: Academic Goal, Active Goal, Help Goal, and Fun Goal. Click here to get your FREE copy of this journal.
I would love to hear how you are staying positive and develop a strong brain muscle! Comment below to share what works in your home!
Teachers, do your schools use a curriculum on Growth Mindset? Comment to share what ways you use Growth Mindset to develop your students brain muscle!!! I’d love to hear your ideas!