ELEVATE YOUR LIFE: EMBRACING CHANGE WITH COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

The last time I felt the paralyzing grip of anxiety was when I was deciding to make the leap from the security of working in a PTSD clinic to fully committing to my private practice.

I had fears of the unknown: Where would I find clients? How do I run a business? And self-doubt: Will clients want to work with me? Am I going to fail at this whole thing?

The journey of transitioning from a well-worn, comfortable path to pursuing a passion or branching out into entrepreneurship is often accompanied by self-doubt, fears, and the insecurity of uncertainties.

I had the same doubts as anyone making a leap in their life from a comfort zone to passion, stepping out of what Gay Hendricks defined as the Zone of Excellence to the Zone of Genius.

In the Zone of Excellence, you are excelling but not quite fulfilled, there is a call to step into the next level.

Fear, insecurities, and other negative self-talk can keep you stuck in the comfort zone.

You know what helped me work through those fears?

I had developed and practiced Cognitive Flexibility. But first, let’s explore the development of thoughts.

how are thoughts developed?

The brain organizes thoughts and responds to the environment based on past experiences, repetition, and the corresponding emotion.

Each thought generates a corresponding emotion which then creates a corresponding physical sensation (pleasant or unpleasant).

These cognitive patterns and automatic thought processes create the foundation for how you experience the world.

Cognitive Flexibility is a cognitive skill that allows you to break out of habitual thoughts and adapt your thinking in response to changing situations or perspectives. It involves the ability to shift between different concepts or thoughts and consider other ideas, other ways of thinking. Another plus is that Cognitive Flexibility is associated with enhanced problem-solving abilities and resilience.

When making a leap from any comfort zone, you’ll hit those patterns of thinking that have a level of fear, and this is completely understandable. We are wired to be cautious, to avoid risks.

However, we are also wired to grow and to excel and to have deep contemplation and the ability to see many possible paths and outcomes.

Anxiety and PTSD create a stickiness in thinking creatively since the mind and body are in a constant state of alertness, finding alternative thoughts can seem impossible.

three steps for cultivating Cognitive Flexibility:

Identify the Problematic Thought: You can’t change what you don’t know. Take time to journal your thoughts and identify the beliefs you have on a subject that creates stress for you. A thought might be “If I leave my stable job, I’ll fail” or “I’m not good enough”. The thoughts that are more painful to write out are often the juicy ones needing to be cleared.

Notice that thoughts are sentences whereas emotions are one-word terms. Thoughts are like: I can’t do this, I’m going to fail, I can’t get out of this. Emotions are: sad, angry, annoyed, making the distinction allows for a clearer understanding of your default thought patterns and the emotions they create.

Challenge the Thought: Ask yourself “is it true”? Create some space between you and the thought, imagine putting the thought on trial.

Can you absolutely know that it's true? Determine if this thought is factual or a habit. Is this a type of thought you have a lot, about many different topics? If so, it’s likely a habitual thought and not supported by facts or data.

Consider Alternatives: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, how might they see the situation? If you were sitting with a friend who said that, how would you respond?

Think of three different or opposing perspectives. Imagine your greatest role model, what thought might they have about it?

Cognitive Flexibility is an essential skill for healing from anxiety and PTSD and leveling up your life. Supported by scientific evidence, Cognitive Flexibility will not only mitigate anxiety and enhance your decision-making but it will also foster mental well-being as you are more able to adapt. By cultivating flexible thinking, you can embrace opportunities for growth.