Your Brain, Body and Motivation
Oct 21, 2020Ever notice that a “new program” has about a 2-4 week lifespan before it’s no longer new, and now it’s just hard?
Last week we talked about how motivation just won’t cut it when it comes to long term commitment, and a few other things you can try to restart the fire. So many wonderful humans spend an awful lot of time assuming that motivation runs dry because of some imagined shortcoming in themselves, so this week, I want to offer some grace in the form of SCIENCE!
First of all, let’s talk about chemistry:
Dopamine is a happy little brain chemical that makes you feel GOOD in small doses! Dopamine is released in the brain when there is a positive stimulus (like watching this YouTube video of a surprised kitten ...)
It’s also released when you can truly envision yourself reaching a goal that seems unreachable.
You get a little rush of adrenaline (your heart rate speeds up … your face might flush…) and you’re suddenly MOTIVATED to reengage your workout routine, start a nutrition protocol, hire a business coach or start that passion project you’ve always wanted to start.
When you’re scrolling through social media, the videos and photos you see of successful entrepreneurs, amazing athletes and parents hit you over and over with microdoses of dopamine and adrenaline. (See also: why it’s so hard to put your phone down.) Strategically placed ads capitalize on that rush by offering you programs and products your chemical state (motivation) has primed you to purchase!
A few important facts here:
That hit of dopamine requires stimulus that that is varied and pleasant.
Adrenaline surges have a limited lifespan (when they’re healthy.)
Somewhere around workout week three, injury one, marketing campaign attempt #5 or self-improvement practice 18… there are no longer surges of dopamine and adrenaline cycling through your body. The bar won’t budge, your leg hurts, the bottom line doesn’t seem to be moving or your kiddo is still melting down despite this amazing meditation download you’re doing every day.
You’ve now entered territory of stress hormones and - inconveniently enough - the most crucial phase of learning and growth.
Adaptation and growth requires STRESSING the system you’re using enough to force growth, which can feel unpleasant because stress releases cortisol in your body. Adrenaline makes you feel excited … but cortisol* makes you sleepy.
BAM. Your MOTIVATION is suddenly gone. You’re tired. And you’ve failed again because you missed a workout and it’s back to square one, right?
WRONG! This is your deeply loving pre-cognitive brain going “You know what. I like you. And I want you to be happy. I’d rather start a NEW program that makes us feel happy and excited rather than what makes us feel tired and frustrated. Because I care so much, here are some thoughts, physical sensations and symptoms that will get you to quit and find something else!”
Fortunately, we as adults have this thing called a frontal lobe, that helps us see past the next five minutes and make a choice for the future. But - contrary to popular advice - you don’t have to just double down on discipline and work harder.
Try these three things instead:
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Get a surge of inspiration (microdose some adrenaline) by ENVISIONING. Go back to a video, photo, or book that inspires you, then set aside 10 minutes and visualize yourself as who you are becoming, and journal about it.
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Create small NOVELTIES (get a little dopamine here…) within the program. This can be as simple as different music, reorienting or cleaning your workspace or going to a different location each day! Just change something that gives you that little “Oh! That’s fun!” response.
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REWARD yourself (a little dopamine there!). This is a big one. There’s an endemic belief that the end result should be enough of a reward, and this is often the death knell for a program when things get hard, because if you don’t get little boosts along the way, the stress will outweigh the initial “feel good” excitement and you’ll peter out. Instead, create little rewards every time you engage in your program or process and teach your brain that engaged behavior = a little boost of feel good!
Just like any other training tool, rewards need to be immediate and commensurate with the behavior. You wouldn’t tell your dog “Good sit! You can have a whole steak at the end of the week if you do it 7 more times!” Don’t play that game with yourself. Great ideas are : honestly telling yourself how proud you are, gold stars on a chart, putting a dollar in a jar and watching it pile up, buying yourself a coffee, or taking a break you weren’t planning on to just watch clouds or read a book.
Quit trying harder. Especially now, when the world is upheaved and everything is hard anyway. Use the same technique your social media channels do … and get yourself as addicted to growth and change as you are to scrolling your feeds!
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