Why Will These Strategies Work?

It's normal to doubt certain practices, but sometimes, the little things make the biggest differences in our lives. Keeping up with some of the strategies Headway lists may provide more stability for your life, but how? The simple answer is this: your brain is always changing, and adding routine strategies to promote a more positive lifestyle fits our nature. A way to more accurately describe these phenomena is by looking into something called neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to modify, change, and adapt both in structure and in function throughout life and in response to experience. It’s our brain’s constant state of change. We all have this amazing superpower!

Just like muscles in the body change when we do physical exercise, our brains change in response to our thoughts. The more they are exercised (used), the stronger these networks become. When we have unhealthy patterns of thought or don’t manage thoughts well, we unknowingly change our brain's physical architecture in unhealthy ways.

The good news is that negative thinking patterns can be unlearned and replaced with healthier thoughts (different circuits or networks). To do this, we need to consciously and deliberately activate circuits that.

Impact the brain in more positive ways. Just like toddlers learning to walk by getting up and trying repeatedly, we can develop positive circuits by practicing new emotional habits, thought patterns, and physical or social skills.

This is how we change our minds.

If interconnected neurons become very active very close in time during a particular event, their connection will strengthen, and a memory of this event is formed; in other words, neurons wire together if they fire together, and when they fire together, they often become stronger and form more connections. In turn, they’re triggered more easily.

Life experiences change the brain's structure and function and how the brain and body interact. Our daily experiences change the physical architecture and communication networks between relevant regions of the brain that regulate thoughts, emotions, and all behaviors, including basic cellular biology. You will literally change your brain's size, shape, or function through the way you think about your life. This is unavoidable.

The Unpredictability of Life

In life, our experiences and influences are unpredictable; they are both positive and negative. We cannot get away from the reality that life will keep coming. Yet, we do not have a choice regarding neuroplasticity; it occurs automatically and functions above or below our level of consciousness. We either find a healthy way to think about or accept difficult memories, experiences, and emotions, or they will negatively impact our behavior and physical health. Sometimes, we must do everything possible to regain control of our thoughts and how our brains change and move forward through life.

Being healthy requires that we process or work through difficult experiences within ourselves and others to eventually find equilibrium and peace. This requires finding a way to process and let go of negative thoughts or experiences while keeping the memories intact.

Why Neuroplasticity Brings Hope

This process might at least partially explain or account for how some of the mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, come into play. It is likely that these conditions are not the result of a disease process but rather the result of the changes that have occurred within the brain of the individual as a function of the interplay between their genetic endowment, the environment they have lived through, and their particular brain-body system. We can use the knowledge of neuroplasticity to make changes in our system to correct conditions or areas of the brain that are out of balance.

Pictured: neuroplasticity graphic