In my private and small group consultations a point frequently emphasized is that the subconscious mind persists with habit patterns whether they are good bad or neutral. It is in it's very nature to resist change and to equate staying the same as staying safe. Why is this so?
People will often state they feel like dummy for persisting in behaviors they "know" are unhealthy and self-defeating. Yet it is almost never an intellectual shortcoming that keeps someone in an unproductive rut. Chances are you are over-stressed.
If we look back to how the human species evolved, our remote ancestors lived with considerable physical danger and there was little margin for error. The base emotion of their lives was FEAR and with good reason.To survive you had to learn effective strategies for food gathering and dealing with predators such as tigers as well as other humans. And if you learned something that worked, you stuck with it as your life literally depended on it.
Fast forward through the centuries to our times and daily life is now dramatically and thankfully less violent. We have a kind of breathing room for higher intellectual experiences and aspirations that our remote ancestors had no time or use for.
Yet the older and more primitive structures of our brains that evolved during in the past (collectively known as the limbic system) can override your best intentions, especially in times of high stress. In fight or flight mode the prime directive becomes ensuring survival in the present moment. Yet the stress response in modern times is frequently triggered inappropriately by situations that do not involve actual physical danger.
This is where a lot inner turmoil comes from. Your higher intellect knows for example that smoking or overeating or procrastination is bad for you. Yet the more primitive parts of the brain figure you have survived so far by doing exactly what you have been doing, so don't change it.
One way to loosen the grip of the fear based programming is by developing a practice of intentional relaxation. It also helps with the Cycle of Impulsivity we covered in a previous post (read it here). It is for this reason professional hypnotists like myself usually assign some sort of self-hypnosis or mindfulness meditation based homework. Feeling calm and safe allows change to happen with far less struggle.
If you have any questions, I am here to help. A free initial consultation is available to you by calling (732) 714-7040 or fill out the Life Enhancement Strategy Form and I will get back to you ASAP.
P.S. You might find it helpful to practice with my recent video Embracing Change (posted below) or the free Learn Self-Hypnosis mp3 you can access at my Online Store.