Is Your Brain Keeping You Stuck?

Is Your Brain Keeping You Stuck?

We have all heard the old saying - “You are your own worst enemy.” So much of this rings true, but today I want to talk about the biggest thing that is keeping you stuck - your very own brain.
Yup, that’s right. Your brain is part of what is keeping you from moving towards the goals and dreams that you want to achieve.


Wait…WHAT?! I know - crazy right. First, I’m going to explain how to tell if your brain is doing this and why - then I’m going to give you some tools that you can use to take back the control over your tricky trickster of a brain.

OK - first things first, how to tell if your brain is keeping you stuck.

1. Do you often find yourself talking yourself out of things that you really want to do? You think of a fun, new idea and then within the next few minutes you have had an entire argument in your head as to why you can’t/shouldn’t/won’t do it.
2. Do you imagine the worst situation? Have a dream that you could be a sensational singer, but fear the absolute most awful thing ever happening so you don’t take action.
3. Do you struggle with self-limiting beliefs? Do you want to change something about your life or situation, but think that you can’t because it’s out of your control so instead you do nothing.

All three of these are great examples of the brain keeping you stuck. Now that you have some examples let me explain why this is happening. The brain is designed to keep you alive and will want to keep you in your comfy little comfort zone. Back in caveman years - humans were not staying around too long if you know what I mean. There were TONS of dangers of dying everyday - so the brain had to be sharp and keep the body alive.


The brain scans for anything that can be determined as a threat and new and uncertain things set off a MASSIVE red alarm. This in turn will put the brain into overdrive to get you to stay within your comfort parameters AT ALL COSTS. However, it can’t distinguish between a real or imagined threat - and new, uncertain things or pretty much ANYTHING outside of your comfort zone are a potential threat with what the brain deems, disastrous results.


Don’t put anything past the brain either… it will tell you that it’s too scary, that you are going to fail, that you aren’t enough or even that you might die of fear or *GASP* the unknown. Let me just tell you… that is completely NORMAL. Your brain is doing it’s job to attempt to keep you alive by controlling your actions. 


Now, let’s talk about some easy, but effective tools to gain back control of your brain and move forward. It takes time and practice so make sure that you are patient with yourself during the process and don’t try to change everything all at once. 


When I worked on transforming my life, people think it happened overnight, but in actuality it happened over the course of several years. Focus on one part of your life you want to improve at a time. Whether that is your emotional health, relationships, physical health etc - take it in chunks instead of feeling pressured to have everything done at one time. 

Now - for some real life tips on how to tell your brain that you are the boss.

1. Commit to yourself. NO - actually commit. Here’s the deal - even if you are not a commitment-phobe, we can tend to flake out on ourselves more than anyone else. Take the time to really commit to yourself and the change in your life that you are seeking. Write it down! Pen to paper - then hang it up so you can see it EVERYDAY.
2. Create challenges for yourself. If a certain situation scares you - make it a challenge. For me, getting up in front of people makes me uncomfortable, so I make it a challenge that anytime I have the opportunity - I have to take it. The more you practice and do the thing that scares you - the less scary it becomes.
3. Override limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs are normal to have and only we think our limiting beliefs are valid. Examples of limiting beliefs would be thoughts like “I’m not smart enough for that” or “I can’t do that" or “I might fail at that”. This is your brain trying to argue with itself to keep you in the comfort zone. Override these beliefs with a belief that helps push you to the level that you want to be at. What beliefs would you need to have in order to achieve the change you want? Start by writing out the beliefs you would need/want to have about yourself and then when that tiny voice starts to say you can’t - override it with the new belief that you can - and then - TAKE ACTION.
4. The 5-Second Rule 5-4-3-2-1 - GO. OK - this is not mine, but I absolutely am in LOVE with this rule right now from Mel Robbins. The basic concept is that when you have an idea to act on a goal you must physically move within 5 seconds before your brain will kill the idea. I am currently using this as I struggle with the snooze button in the morning - so far so good.

Side note, the change in life that you wish to see - lies outside of your comfort zone. Anytime you are taking action towards something out of your comfort zone - it is NORMAL to have feelings of doubt and uncertainty, but letting the brain stop you is a choice that you can control. You are a warrior - now go show your brain who’s boss.

Xo Renea

P.S. If you like these 4 tips and would like to download a FREE cheatsheet simply select the box below!

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