Bust the Rut with Plasticity

At present, but maybe not for long, the human brain is the most sophisticated and intricate “machine” that we know of in the universe. One of its most marvelous functions is automation, meaning that once we’ve learned and practiced something extensively — like turning your head, walking, juggling, typing, talking, driving, or playing an instrument — your brain can put activities on autopilot so that you can simultaneously focus your attention on some other activity. But, what happens when one of these programmed activities is unhelpful in a situation? For example, you move to a place where cars are driven on the other side of the road. Or, maybe you’re used to speaking English and you move to a country where the language is completely different. Or, some of us got a lot of attention from our parents by voicing our disaffection when we were young, but it doesn't always serve us at a later age.

When pre-programmed habits are helpful, you might say you are in a groove. When they are unhelpful or destructive you might think you’re stuck in a rut — a behavior that is extremely difficult to un-learn. A trick is to have some tools to get out of a rut. It turns out that a great first step is awareness. You’d probably quickly become aware when you’re driving on the wrong side of the road – eek! – or speaking the wrong language – Why is everyone looking at me like I’m a space alien? But, some habits, such as habitual complaining, may be less easy to identify and admit to, especially when we're in the moment.

After spending time building awareness and sensitivity around an automatic or compulsive behavior, here are some useful mental conditions — or you could consider them

techniques — known to help people bust out of a rut:

• Urgency (“I’d better get in the other lane or I’ll hit this oncoming car”)

• Fascination (“this person seems so interesting, but they don’t speak a word of English”)

• Compassion ("I feel for my 4 year old self who acted out because they felt ignored")

• Focus (“I’m going to find a quiet space for two hours to practice my mandolin”) 

Yes, automation is an amazing adaptation, and so is plasticity — the ability to change and transform, no matter how rutted your groove may be.

Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/@karolina-grabowska/

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