Challenge

I have just taken up a new challenge, running! I can hardly believe it myself but I have just started the Couch to 5 k training with a couple of friends. This is not something I ever thought I would do but I’m really enjoying it. It can good to challenge ourselves sometimes, step out of our comfort zones.

And it certainly is challenging! I do walk a lot and am reasonably fit but I haven’t run for the sake of running since I was at school, and that was a long time ago. It feels great to be doing something new and setting new goals to meet each week. It’s very motivating and energising, both physically and mentally.

Reward

Did you know that we are actually ‘rewarded’ each time we achieve a goal? Whatever that goal is – anything from clearing out ‘that’ cupboard,  going to the gym or just crossing something off your to do list – we will be rewarded with dopamine.

Dopamine is one of many neurotransmitters that we produce in response to activities that are good for our mental health. We know that our ancient ancestors also produced these neurotransmitters when they did things that were good for the evolution of the species. If they hadn’t, it’s unlikely that we would be here today!

Dopamine has many functions in the human body, but in this context, it is what motivates us to keep going, to move onto the next goal. It does this by making us feel good about ourselves. It gives us that feeling of satisfaction and pride in our achievement. I’m sure you recognise that ‘Wow, I did it!’ feeling? Wouldn’t it be nice to have it more often!

Achievable

It is important to keep our goals small and achievable. We get a boost of dopamine each time we achieve one, building our motivation and feelings of pride each time, encouraging us to move onto the next challenge. If I went out now and tried to run 5k without training and working up to it, I would almost certainly fail and probably give up! But, if I stick to the plan and run a little bit further each week, I know that I can do it. I also know how happy I’ll feel when I do!

What Could you do?

Do you have something you would like to do or change? It can feel overwhelming to make changes or to take on new challenges but by breaking it down into small goals it suddenly seems more achievable. Why not start making those changes today?

Need Help?

Solution Focused Hypnotherapy could help you to make those changes. Sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation on your own but, working together can make all the difference. Helping you to understand more about what’s going on in your brain and helping you to set those goals can provide the motivation you need to get started. The hypnosis enables us to get messages into the subconscious part of the brain which makes it so much easier for you to make the changes you want to make.

If you have any questions about this, or any other aspect of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, please call Karen on 07850 732761. I would love to hear from you!