by Susan Whitcomb
“The brain is a sentry, always looking out for danger or oddities in our environment. Danger doesn’t just mean physical threats. It can also mean emotional or intellectual threats. And once a threat is perceived, our autonomic nervous system kicks in with a cortisol rush and we shift into fight-flight-freeze mode.
One of the ways we may unknowingly add threats to our lives is with our self-talk. For example, when we say “I should . . .” we are subtly making ourselves wrong. And when we make ourselves wrong, a chain reaction happens.
I should = I’m wrong.
I’m wrong = fight-flight response
Fight-Flight = cortisol spikes
Cortisol spikes = diminished ability to think creatively
In this cycle, we shift from “calm-connect-curiosity” to “cringe-and-condemnation”!”
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