Daily Habits to Help Rewire Your Brain

Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? Well, when it comes to your brain, that’s totally incorrect! Our brains are actually amazing at learning new tricks, no matter our age. It’s like they’re always ready for an upgrade.

EMDR and Hypnotherapy aren’t just “talk therapies”; they’re powerful tools that actually help your brain “rewire” itself. But here’s the really cool part: you can help with this rewiring process yourself, every day, without therapy!

Your Brain’s Superpower: “Neuroplasticity”

So, what does this “rewiring” actually mean? It’s all thanks to something called neuroplasticity—your brain’s incredible ability to change and adapt. It’s constantly forming new connections, like building new roads in a city, throughout your entire life. This is how you learn new things, bounce back from tough times, and adjust to life’s curveballs. It’s the secret behind how EMDR and Hypnotherapy work to help eliminate memories or habits you no longer want.

How EMDR and Hypnotherapy Give Your Brain a Helping Hand

Both EMDR and Hypnotherapy are awesome at guiding your brain to make these helpful changes.

• EMDR helps your brain sort through upsetting memories, kind of like tidying up a messy filing cabinet. It helps those memories stop feeling so heavy, creating new, more positive pathways.

• Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious mind, which is like the brain’s autopilot. It helps swap out old, unhelpful thoughts and behaviors for fresh, empowering ones.

These approaches are especially great because they give your brain the focused attention it needs to make big changes, especially as we get a little older (after our mid-20s). They’re really good at helping you break old habits by making you more aware of what’s going on inside and then choosing a new way to react. But what if you’re not ready for therapy? You can do the following activities on your own to boost your brain’s rewiring power and actually change it.

Your Daily Habits to Help Rewire Your Brain

Focus Hard, Then Totally Relax

To help your brain make new connections, try to really focus on something for a bit. When you’re super focused, your brain releases chemicals that help with learning. This means turning OFF your phone, turning off any alarms and notifications, and tuning out any noise that distracts you from totally focusing. And here’s the crucial bit: the actual rewiring largely happens when you’re deeply relaxed or, even better, asleep! So, good sleep isn’t just about feeling rested; it’s when your brain gets to work on all the new stuff you’ve been learning (Focus and Rest Cycles, Learning Through Sleep).

Get Some Sleep

And speaking of sleep, sometimes our internal rhythms can get a little wonky. I experienced this myself for YEARS and I’m happy to report that my sleep has improved thanks to my naturopath. She tested my adrenal and cortisol levels (cortisol is your natural ‘wake-up’ hormone) and discovered my adrenal glands were spiking my cortisol around 3 AM! My own body was robbing me of my beauty sleep! She put me on some over-the-counter cortisol support supplements. You can learn more about that and my other insomnia solutions here.

Tune In to Your Body to Break Bad Habits Want to change an old habit that’s not serving you? Start by really paying attention to what triggers it and how it feels in your body. For me, I’m hyper aware of my off-the-cuff desire for a juicy cheeseburger or a huge plate of lasagna when I’m not hungry. When you become more aware of these internal signals, you can actually choose a different response instead of just going on autopilot. It’s a simple, yet powerful, way to take control.

Keep Learning New Stuff Your brain loves a challenge! Try a new hobby, learn a few words in a different language, or even just take a new route on your walk. Doing new things keeps your brain sharp and encourages it to build even more connections.

Get Moving! Exercise for a Smarter Brain Here’s another fantastic habit: move your body! We often think of exercise as being good for our muscles and heart, but it’s a huge superstar for your brain, too. When you get your heart pumping, it increases blood flow to your brain, bringing in all that good oxygen and nutrients. Regular exercise can actually help grow new brain cells (how cool is that?!), especially in areas important for memory and learning. Plus, it’s a fantastic stress reducer and boosts those feel-good chemicals, setting the stage for your brain to be in prime condition for rewiring itself. So, whether it’s a brisk walk, a dance class, or lifting weights, find something you enjoy and get moving!

A Peek into Future Brain Science

There’s some really interesting, early research looking into how certain things can dramatically boost brain plasticity. For example, some studies are exploring how psychedelics like psilocybin might put the brain into a super-plastic state, potentially leading to helpful changes for mental health. But it’s important to remember this is cutting-edge stuff, and it’s something that only happens in very controlled, professional settings where it’s legal (Psilocybin and Psychedelics, Psychedelic Brain Rewiring). For now, I’m seeing such great results from EMDR, Hypnotherapy, and these new daily practices that I’m not considering these, but I’ve heard from friends who’ve tried Psilocybin, who’ve had positive results and liked their experience. If you give it a try, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d like to hear all about it.

We’re the Co-Pilots on Our Healing Journey!

So, the big takeaway here is this: your brain is incredibly adaptable, and you have a huge role to play in its healing journey. Whether you’re exploring therapies like EMDR and Hypnotherapy, or just making simple shifts in your daily routine like focusing better, getting good sleep, and moving your body, you’re actively helping to shape a healthier, happier you. It’s pretty amazing, right?