I had no idea at all!
That was me for a long time (a little too long) but I confess I thought that all the neuroscience talk was for clever people, who knew stuff.
But once I stopped (grief made me do that) I started wondering why do I :
- Ruminate
- Worry obsessively
- Negatively predict the future
- Suffer poor sleep
- Jump to conclusions
- Have to fill every minute with doing things
- Assume I’m not quite good enough
- Not challenge myself
- Compare myself to others
- Procrastinate
And on and on … you get the picture.
So I figured that the only person I am in charge of is me so I made small steps, tentatively at first with great secrecy (incase I was no good, and then everyone would know, and I’d be rubbish at everything!).
The small steps became bigger and easier and then I got good at things and felt confident, excited and looked forward to being me.
I began to learn about these amazing neuro-transmitters that I have and understood how important they are to my survival, happiness, interactions, understanding and sense of self.
Here are my little “Happy Neuro Buddies”:
Dopamine – responsible for motivating me, rewards, memory and attention.
Oxytocin – it’s warm and fuzzy, promotes feelings of love, social bonding and companionship
Serotonin – regulates mood, happiness, pride, respect.
Endorphins – euphoria feelings, general well-being and pain relief.
I worked out when they were off duty and how I could get them back on track to keep me steady, motivated, focused, happy, content and logical.
Of course I haven’t found the answer to all life’s problems (I’m human) – its work in progress, but I’m in charge of me now.