This is why you get stuck in procrastination holes 🕳️ and anxiety spirals 🌀
And also why you can’t stop eating pie 🥧
Have you ever been SO stuffed after a giant meal that you can barely move…
And, in an attempt to solve the problem of your discomfort…
Your brain tells you, “You know what would make you feel better? Another slice of pie!”
Even though the slice of pie is only going to make you more full?
Have you ever had so many things to do that you feel overwhelmed by them all…
And, in an attempt to solve the problem of your overwhelm…
Your brain tells you, “You know what would make you feel better? Spending an hour ignoring this list and scrolling on social media!”
Even though you’re only going to feel more overwhelmed an hour later, when you still have the same amount of stuff to do and one hour less to get it done in?
Have you ever made a mistake at work and felt like you weren’t very good at your job…
And, in an attempt to motivate you to get better at your job…
Your brain tells you, “You know what would motivate you? A massive list of ALL the things you’re not good at in your job, and ALL the evidence that you can’t hack it here, and ALL the ways everyone else is ahead of you.”
Even though all that list does is sap your motivation and make you feel like not doing anything?
If your brain gets into these seemingly illogical cycles, don’t worry.
You’re not crazy, and there’s nothing wrong with you.
All that’s happening is a protective mechanism circuit in your brain… 🧠
Which is supposed to fire once, solve the problem, and turn off… 💥
Has accidentally gotten stuck in a loop where it keeps setting itself off again and again 🔄
Here’s what your brain thought would happen when it fired these circuits.
Uh oh! We have detected discomfort! ➡️ Eat pie! ➡️ Discomfort eliminated ✅
Uh oh! We have detected overwhelm! ➡️ Scroll Instagram! ➡️ Overwhelm eliminated ✅
Uh oh! We have detected a need for improvement! ➡️ Deliver swift kick in the pants via list of things you’re doing badly! ➡️ Improvement jumpstarted ✅
But here’s what’s actually happening when your brain fires these circuits.
Uh oh! We have detected discomfort! ➡️ Eat pie! ➡️ More discomfort ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected discomfort! ➡️ Eat pie! ➡️ More discomfort ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected discomfort! ➡️ Eat pie! ➡️ More discomfort 🔄
⬆️ This is when you say, “Take this pie away from me, guys! I can’t seem to stop eating even though I’m stuffed!”
Uh oh! We have detected overwhelm! ➡️ Scroll Instagram! ➡️ More overwhelm ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected overwhelm! ➡️ Scroll Instagram! ➡️ More overwhelm ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected overwhelm! ➡️ Scroll Instagram! ➡️ More overwhelm 🔄
⬆️ This is a procrastination hole, when you want to stop procrastinating and continuing to scroll just feels miserable, but you also can’t seem to stop.
Uh oh! We have detected a need for improvement! ➡️ Deliver swift kick in the pants via list of things you’re doing badly! ➡️ Need for improvement gets even bigger ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected a need for improvement! ➡️ Deliver swift kick in the pants via list of things you’re doing badly! ➡️ Need for improvement gets even bigger ➡️
Uh oh! We have detected a need for improvement! ➡️ Deliver swift kick in the pants via list of things you’re doing badly! ➡️ Need for improvement gets even bigger 🔄
⬆️ This is an anxiety spiral, where one thing going wrong sends your brain down the rabbit hole of everything that’s wrong with you and your life, and you end up feeling so terrible about yourself that you have no motivation to improve on anything.
Every single one of these circuits is trying to fire once and solve the problem.
And they’re accidentally getting stuck in a loop of their own making.
They keep setting themselves off again and again.
And that’s why you get caught in a procrastination hole, or an anxiety spiral, or a “why can’t I stop eating??” moment.
Now, here’s the lucky thing about this whole situation.
YOU are not the circuit.
The circuit is just one thing happening inside you.
So here’s the first micro-step I want you to take the next time this happens to you:
Step outside the circuit.
Step back from being fully absorbed in the circuit.
Become the observer, and notice—
“Oh! What’s really happening right now is that this circuit keeps firing.
I see what it’s doing.
I see it going around and around.
I see it trying to set itself off, again and again.
Yep. I am watching this circuit inside my brain.
Nothing is actually going wrong, outside of me.
And nothing is actually wrong with my brain, for having this circuit.
I am just here. Being the watcher. Watching this circuit.”
That’s step one.
And sometimes, that’s the only step you need to feel better and get back to doing the things you want to do.
And sometimes, you’re going to want more.
Sometimes, even after you’ve stepped outside the circuit and are watching it…
You’ll say: “I’d like to break this circuit and make it stop spinning around so fast.”
Or: “I’d like to activate another circuit and have that one drive my behavior instead of this one.”
Or: “I feel like I have two competing circuits in my brain and I want to figure out which one is right and which one to listen to.”
That is what we do in coaching.
We notice what circuit is running in your brain right now 🔄
We step outside the circuit and observe the result it’s creating, again and again 👀
And then we get the circuits running that you want to be running 🥳
The ones that feel calm and grounded and say “I can handle this” 💪🏽
The ones that make it feel easy and intuitive to do the things you want to do 🏃🏻♀️
The ones that bring out the best version of you 💖
The ones that automatically create the life you want to be living ☀️
Come talk to me, and let’s figure out which mental circuits are keeping you stuck right now and make a plan to start rewiring them.
And if you’re not totally sure what coaching really looks like…
You can always get a free sample by booking an anonymous public coaching session with me.
What my clients have to say…
“I would recommend Pooja to anyone who feels like there is a part of their life where they feel stuck.
Either stuck in a vicious thought cycle, or stuck at work, or stuck in some sort of unhealthy personal relationship, or not able to improve some aspect of their life that they want to.
Honestly that’s probably everybody, because everyone’s probably stuck in some aspect of their life.”
—Client | Head of Business Development at MedTech Company
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