We’ve been thinking a lot about the topic of change over here. 🙃
Not only did our business go through some big changes this year by opening up a storefront location, but we’ve gone through huge changes and life transitions in our own lives over the past few years. 🏠 👶 🦋
We know that change is the only constant. We all go through it at one point or another.
So then why is change so hard for our brains anyway? 🤔 We thought it could be helpful to dive into the neuroscience behind it:
Change…
- Disrupts Familiar Neural Pathways - Our brains develop deep neural networks around familiar routines and anything unfamiliar feels jarring. ⚡
- Activates our Amygdala - The brain's threat detection system is triggered by the unknown of change, sparking anxiety and stress. 🚨
- Requires Forming New Connections - Creating new neural pathways to adapt to the change takes immense cognitive effort. 💪
- Overtaxes the Brain - The brain devotes so much energy into adapting to the change that it becomes hard to think about other things.😩
- Signals Potential Danger - Unfamiliar environments and loss of control signal danger to the primitive brain stem and makes us think we could be unsafe. 🚨
- Increases Executive Function Demands - Adapting to change consumes working memory and impairs decision-making abilities. 🫣
- Can Cause Emotional Dysregulation - Our feelings become erratic as the brain searches for its new normal. 😭😡🤪
If you’ve been through a life change such as welcoming a new baby, moving, or experiencing grief or loss…you know these things to be very true.
Sometimes it helps just hearing that you are not alone in these feelings of discombobulation 🥴 and that there is science behind why our brains react the way that they do. There is nothing wrong with you or your child if you experience all of the above, it’s actually quite normal and to be expected. 🧠
At Present Not Perfect, we are here to support you and your kids’ emotional journeys through all of life’s biggest changes. Launching next week is our brand new “Prep Line” Kits designed by a teacher and a therapist packed full of resources to help you navigate these changes.
Here for you,
Abbie & Emily 💗