Yes, But...

Making changes is hard. Changing our habits or behaviors or changing the way we think doesn’t happen quickly or easily most of the time. Many people want to make changes in their lives, like starting to exercise, or eat better, or feel better, or get organized, or go back to school, or deal with a problem relationship, but they are never quite able to do it.

First of all, anything we say or do starts with what we’re thinking, so thinking is the first thing that needs to change. The reason that it’s so hard to change thinking is that when we try to think differently our brains say, “yes, but…” and then we go right back to the old way of thinking.

Why does this happen? Because when we have been thinking a particular way for a while, it becomes like a well-worn path of brain connections and our brains want to keep thinking that way because it’s EASY even though it is not helpful. That’s where therapy can help.

Therapy can help us make new thinking paths in our brains, and practice the new way of thinking until it is not hard to think differently. It usually doesn’t happen in one session (although I have seen it happen that fast!) but it does happen. Therapy can help rewire your brain to think differently and therefore feel and behave differently. If you are struggling with making changes in your life because of “yes, but…”, get some help.