Uncover Your Brain's Kill Switch to Make Healthy Change Easy
Apr 25, 2023Episode 39
Sheri Davidson
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try - or how many resolutions you set - you can't seem to stick to your goals? If so, it's probably not because of a lack of willpower; instead, the key may lie in uncovering the "kill switch" inside our brains. When armed with this knowledge and understanding of the habenula, achieving lasting positive outcomes becomes much more attainable. Join me in this episode to explore this topic and reveal a secret to making healthy change easier than ever!
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try - or how many resolutions you set - you can't seem to stick to your goals? If so, it's probably not because of a lack of willpower; instead, the key may lie in uncovering the "kill switch" inside our brains. When armed with this knowledge and understanding of the habenula, achieving lasting positive outcomes becomes much more attainable. Join me in this episode to explore this topic and reveal a secret to making healthy change easier than ever!
Hello friends a warm welcome to the wellness inspired podcast, the place where you can find inspiration, motivation and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, Sheri Davidson. I'm a wellness coach and acupuncturist in Houston, Texas and deeply passionate about health and well being. And as always, I am here with my terrier mix, rescue dog and co host Finn. He is also my coworker. At element five acupuncture and wellness. He is the greeter and therapy dog. He is a trail runner, and my forever loyal sidekick and I am super excited about this episode. I'm also super excited about my upcoming trip to the Azores and Portugal. The Azores is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic. Last time I went to the Faroe Islands. This time a friend and I are going to run the Azores trial run Ultra Blue Island and Horta on fail Island, after the race will fly back to Lisbon, and hopefully celebrate a big accomplishment. We signed up for the 65k, which is about 40 miles. I hear the race is absolutely beautiful. And I'm excited. And I look forward to sharing my experience of the race and Portugal with you. But first, I want to share a little secret with you. Your brain has a kill switch, and it's called the habenula. I believe most people want to make healthy change, but they don't. Because change can be hard. Change is complex and multifaceted. But I want to share something with you today, your brain has a kill switch. And this is one reason making healthy change can be hard. So what is the habenula The habenula is a pea sized structure in the brain. It might be small, but its impact is big when it comes to making behavioral changes. It is located in the epithelium is a region of the brain located above the thalamus, and it is composed of two small clusters of nerve cells called the medial and lateral habenula. The habenula plays a role in making healthy lifestyle changes by regulating motivation, and reward processing, which are critical factors in initiating and maintaining behavioral change. For example, when an individual sets a goal to make healthy lifestyle change, such as working out more and improving their diet, the habenula plays a role in signaling positive outcomes or rewards associated with that behavior change. And this can help motivate the individual to continue engaging in the healthy behavior and to experience the associated rewards. However, if the individual fails to engage in the healthy behavior, the habenula signals negative outcomes or punishment, which can lead to decrease motivation and a reduced likelihood of behavior change. Here's a more concrete example. Let's say you're trying to make the habit of going for a run every morning before work. At first, this might be difficult and requires a lot of self discipline to get yourself out of the bed and out the door. But over time, your brain's reward system starts to adapt, and this new habit is formed. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision making and impulse control, begins to associate the behavior of going for a run with a sense of reward and satisfaction. Yes, it does happen. But the habenula can also play a role in this process. The habenula is connected to the reward system in the brain, and it can signal when the activity is no longer rewarding. For example, if you're used to getting a sense of reward and satisfaction from going for a run every morning before work, but then suddenly stopped doing so. The habenula can send a signal to the reward system to let him know that the behavior is no longer providing the same level of reward. This can lead to feelings of demotivation lack of inspiration and failure of maintaining your run every morning. But understanding the role of the habenula in this process, you can work to counteract its influence. You might Try changing up your routine to keep it fresh and interesting. Or you might set specific goals and track your progress to help maintain your motivation. By doing so, you can help rewire your brain's reward system to continue associating the behavior of going for a run with a sense of reward and satisfaction, even if the habenula tries to signal otherwise. Another example, let's say you've been trying to lose weight for several months, but you have been struggling to stick to your diet and exercise plan. We all know this one, you start feeling frustrated and disappointed in yourself. And you may start to feel like you're being punished for not being able to lose weight. The habenula can play a role in this by signaling feelings of disappointment, and negative emotions when you engage in behaviors that are not consistent with your weight loss goals. For example, if you indulge in a high calorie treat or skip a workout, you're habenular may signal to your brain that you're not meeting your expectations or goals, leading to feelings of guilt, or shame. So how do you counteract this? Well, it can be helpful to reframe your thinking around weight loss and focus on the positive aspects of making healthy changes. rather than punishing yourself for slip ups and setbacks. Try to view them as opportunities for learning and growth. We call this a learning mindset. You may also try incorporating self compassion, and positive self talk into your weight loss journey to help counteract the negative emotions and thoughts that may be triggered by the habenula. Again, this helps rewire the brain's response to negative experiences and emotions and improve your chances of long term success and your weight loss efforts. Well, there you have it, there is a physiological reason why you may struggle with healthy change. The habenula plays a complex role and behavior change and motivation. And its activity may be influenced by a variety of factors, including individual differences in brain function, and past experiences. Now, don't use your habenula as an excuse not to make healthy change. This can actually make it worse, like I said, uses information to counteract its influence that have been ULA is not under conscious control. There are strategies that can indirectly influence its activity and help make change easy. So here are some tips on how to influence the habenula to make healthy lifestyle change easy. Number one, set achievable goals. They have been Ulus signals, negative outcomes or punishment when expected rewards are not received, which can decrease motivation and reduce the likelihood of behavior change. setting achievable goals that are specific, measurable and attainable. SMART goals may help to increase motivation and reduce the risk of negative signaling from the habenula. Number two, focus on the positive. The habenula is particularly sensitive to negative outcomes, which can reduce motivation and decrease the likelihood of behavior change. Focusing on the positive outcomes associated with healthy behaviors such as improved health and increased energy can increase motivation and reduce the negative signaling from the habenula. So let's go back to the running example. If you have a negative outlook on running, if you think running is hard, or if it is miserable, then you are signaling your brains kill switch. So focus on the positive focus on the accomplishment of running or the healthy outcomes of running. It strengthens your heart, your muscles, your agility and your endurance. this will this will help decrease the ABA annulus activity. So number three, use positive reinforcement they have been ULA plays a role in reward processing, which can influence motivation and behavior change. using positive reinforcement strategies such as rewarding yourself for achieving a specific goal or engaging in a healthy behavior can increase motivation and promote healthy lifestyle changes. Number four, practice self compassion. I talked about this in the weight loss example. negative self talk and criticism can increase activity in the brain's regions associated with stress a negative effect, which may indirectly influence the activity of the habenula. So practicing self compassion, such as treating yourself with kindness and understanding when facing challenges or setbacks can help reduce stress and improve emotional regulation. And number five, seek support. Social support has been shown to have a positive impact on behavior change, and may indirectly influenced the activity of the habenula. So seeking support from friends, family members, coaches professionals can provide motivation, accountability, and emotional support, which can promote healthy lifestyle changes. So overall, while the habenula is not directly under our conscious control, incorporating these tips into your daily routine can help to promote healthy, easy lifestyle changes and improve your overall well being. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and share with your family and friends. You can also give me a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcast. It helps other people find me as well. To get updates on new episodes and wellness inspiration in your inbox. Please join the wellness inspired community. Go to wellness inspired podcast.com to sign up, I'll put the link in the show notes. So you can click and click and join. Also, there is a Facebook community at the Wellness inspired and you can follow me on Instagram at wellness underscore inspired. If you're in the Houston area or visiting and interested in acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, or dry needling, please contact us. You can find out more on our website at element five. Oh m.com. That's element five, the number five oh m.com. And again, I'll put the link in the show notes. If you're interested and health and wellness coaching, we can connect in the clinic or on Zoom reach out to us and we'll get you on the schedule. And as always, I would love to hear your feedback. I am dedicated to bringing you great content that is inspiring and informative with an artsy fun and edgy spin. Thank you so much for listening. We'll meet here again next time. And remember, never stop exploring, learning loving and being you bye