The Huddle Wisdom Blog: For Parents of Anxious & Sensitive Kids
Expert guidance and real-world reflections from a child psychiatrist who’s also a parent.
Balancing Our Impulses: The Lizard Brain vs. The Wizard Brain
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At times, we let our impulses take over in the heat of the moment, when our lizard brains become too dominant. It's not entirely our fault, as our limbic systems are designed to engage when we perceive a threat or danger in our surroundings.
Yet, there are moments when we require the guidance of a wizard to keep our lizard brain in check. We need someone to evaluate the situation with greater finesse so we don't make hasty decisions that we may later regret.
Undoubtedly, our lizard brain is vital in steering us away from danger or helping us to address it if it arises. However, we may overly rely on our lizard brain when making decisions about the future and overestimate potential threats. That's when our wizard brain is more advantageous.
The truth is, we need both the lizard and wizard to function optimally. Yet, it's advisable that the wizard ride the lizard, rather than the other way around.
Tune in to Episode 7 of the Huddle Wisdom Podcast where I talk about thi...
Embracing Life's Twists and Turns: A Fresh Perspective
Life doesn't follow a straight path, and I'm sure many of you can relate. 🤣 When we evaluate our progress, it's beneficial to take a wider view of things. If we don't, we may see things linearly, and any setback or regression may be viewed as a failure or step backward. This often leaves us feeling discouraged. However, growth is never a straight line; it's more like a wiggly trendline. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on the dips more than the peaks because our brains are wired to perceive threats and pay attention to them. A regression, for example, may be seen as a threat to our ego, which is why we pay closer attention to it.
The next time you feel disheartened about your progress, take a moment to look back and reflect on how far you have come. Remember, life is full of twists and turns, and there will always be ups and downs. To avoid selective bias in our thinking, try zooming out and taking a bird's eye view of your progress. It can provide a refreshing perspective...
