We know what we need to do to get where we want to.
We know the things that we need to avoid and cut out.
But when it comes to making things happen, we often fail to follow-through and give in to our temptations.
We fail to win these battles because in that moment we lack the required willpower to overcome the resistance.
Imagine what your life would look like if you had the ability to avoid all distractions and check off everything on your to-do list.
You wouldn't be a slave to your urges and feelings.
You'd be able to prioritize the things that are truly important to you.
You'd have freedom in the true sense.
But we can't just think our way into increased willpower. It's not a question of "mental grit".
You see, willpower is a matter of physiology, not just psychology. It has a biological basis, in the brain and the body. And like a muscle, it can be strengthened
In this thread, we'll focus on the physiological aspect of willpower.
Say it's Sunday and you have decided to work out in the evening. The evening rolls around and you're lying on your bed, watching stuff on Netflix.
An episode ends and you remember that you had vowed to exercise today.
Netflix is about to autoplay the next episode.
At that moment, there's a conflict in your brain. You could say "fuck it" and let it play. Or you could shut the laptop down and put on your training shoes.
When your brain detects such a conflict (or a possible future regret), it attempts to launch a sequence of events called the Pause-and-Plan response.
The Pause-and-Plan response is basically the opposite of the body's Fight-or-Flight response.
Instead of racing up, your heartbeat slows down. Breathing gets slower. And the body relaxes.
The objective is to put your body in a calm state so that energy can be redirected away from the body to the brain.
The Pause-and-Plan response starts when the prefrontal cortex identifies that another part of your brain is asking you to do something that may make you feel good right now, but is harmful to your long-term goals.
The prefrontal cortex is the locus of self-control.
It is responsible for encouraging the brain towards doing the harder things โ hitting the gym instead of letting Netflix autoplay the next episode, picking up a book instead of scrolling through Instagram, working on that project you've been putting off.
But when you're stressed, the body redirects energy to your muscles (fight-or-flight response), leaving your prefrontal cortex hungry.
As a result, your reptilian brain takes over and you switch to an autopilot mode where you behave irrationally.
It's amazing how our respiratory system influences the nervous system.
Allowing us to alter our mental state simply by controlling how we inhale and exhale.
Slowing down your breathing activates the parasympathetic system, giving you the necessary headspace to resist temptations and think rationally.
Most people take 12-16 breaths each minute. This kind of shallow breathing directs energy away from your brain and exacerbates stress.
If you can train yourself to take just 6-8 breaths a minute, you will have much more control over your behavior. Because when your breathing is calm, the mind follows.
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The impact of exercise on self-control is fairly established.
Consistent aerobic exercise increases the stroke volume, thereby lowering the resting heart rate.
This creates more space for variability between heartbeats.
And unlike the effects of controlled breathing, exercise creates lasting changes.
This is on top of the numerous neurobiological benefits of exercise.
When you meditate, you are training your mind to not give in to distractions and stay focused.
Over time, this training starts reflecting in your day-to-day life.
Also, meditation is perhaps the best defense mechanism against psychological stressors.
It reduces sympathetic activity and helps you establish a consistently calm mind.
A Yale University School of Medicine study demonstrated that smokers who participated in a mindfulness meditation practice showed improvements in their HRV and ended up smoking fewer cigarettes.
This is why Exercise and Meditation are keystone habits that create a domino effect in every area of your life.
Apart from these habits, it's important to cut out all the psychological and physiological stressors I mentioned earlier.
These stressors damage your willpower and as you might have already inferred, it can become a vicious cycle
For me, the biggest takeaway from learning this stuff has been that our mind and body are intricately connected. What you do for your body impacts your mind and vice-versa
If you made it this far, thank you for reading.
And if you found this stuff valuable, please show some love to the first tweet. Cheers.
Dr. Vervaeke offers an existential interpretation of Metta.
He says love is not an emotion or feeling, it's an existential mode. It's a way of being. It's a way of knowing and being known. It's a commitment to a way of life with someone.
Anger is a misunderstood emotion. Society often paints it in a negative light. And there's a sense of shame attached to feeling angry.
But there are no wrong emotions. Every emotion provides us valuable information and guidance. [1/13]
Anger is our body's adaptive mechanism to make us aware and respond to an unmet need.
The need could be concrete โ like a promotion, a relationship, or more money. Or it could be abstract โ like the need to be understood, or the need to be respected.
An unmet need could also reflect a sense of injustice. Something is wrong, according to your values, and you need to make it right.
Anger acts as a stimulant. It causes a rise in dopamine levels, flushes the skin, and increases the heart rate.
How Meditation Alters the Brain (๐๐๐๐๐๐)
Here's how meditation changes the brain โ structurally and functionally
For a long time, I dismissed meditation as spiritual woo-woo.
How could closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe or thoughts or whatever make any difference?
To my "rational" (and ignorant) mind, it made no sense.
Sometime last year, I read up on the science of meditation. And it made me feel stupid for ignoring it all these years.
So for over a year, I've meditated almost daily. I'm not going to talk about the (life-changing) benefits I've experienced. Because your mileage may vary.