Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

November 25, 2013

Muscle Memory – Our Brain is a Muscle

When we want to learn or improve a skill, we practice it.  Why?  Because when we practice we create muscle memory.  Muscle memory allows us to perform a skill with less of our conscious mind directing the process.  More of our conscious mind becomes free to focus on the nuanced and advanced aspects of the skill.  When we are trying to change or create a behavior or thought, we need to remember that our brain is a muscle!  The more we practice a new behavior, a new response to a situation, or a new thought process, the more it becomes an automatic process in our brain.  If we do not practice and only try and use new behaviors or thoughts in the moment, they will come out awkward and ineffective.  As the saying goes “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice!”

Am I practicing the things I want to change in my life?  What can I do to practice new thoughts and behaviors BEFORE I need them?