How to overcome the illusion of being stuck

September 29, 2024

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After a short break, we are back and ready to be in your inbox every Sunday again 🙌

In our last newsletter, we learned about the field of environmental psychology and how you can use it to your advantage. If you missed it, you can catch up here🙂

Today we will dive into how your brain can hold you back from reaching your full potential by preventing you from exploring the unknown.

“The human brain is a truly wondrous thing and ought to be explored with as much vigor and ambition as with which we reach with our rocket ships to the stars”

Feeling stuck can seem like a permanent state, with familiar patterns of resistance when facing new challenges. Our brains, which were designed to conserve energy, prefer what’s comfortable and familiar, making change feel daunting and maintaining the status quo deceptively easy.

The science behind why our brain does this can be seen through the research done by neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore. He reveals that our brains are essentially reality-building machines. Cortical columns in the cerebral cortex evaluate sensory information against existing models, favouring familiar "True" signals to minimize energy use. This process explains why staying in comfort zones feels so natural: it's about conserving mental energy rather than embracing new, potentially challenging experiences. If you are interested in reading more about his experiment, you can access his paper here.

When confronted with something unfamiliar, our brains must recalibrate. This recalibration, though uncomfortable, is essential for growth. By actively seeking out and embracing these "False" signals—new and challenging experiences—we can break free from mental automation and engage in personal development and growth.

To overcome feelings of stagnation then, start by recognizing when you're in "brain automation" mode: going through routines without thought or excitement. Then, instead of relying on changing your actions, you must change the way you think as well. Start asking yourself “why” you feel uninterested in your activities. Soon, you will reach the root of your problems and from there you can find ways to counter them.

True transformation requires both mental and physical effort. Push past your comfort zones, seek discomfort, and construct a new reality. Try new things! Embracing the uncomfortable is key to breaking free from “being stuck”.

TL/DR: Feeling stuck is a natural response that your brain produces because it finds comfort in familiarity and likes conserving energy. This causes brain automation: you feel no emotion towards the activities you do and are completing them simply to pass time. In order to stop your brain from thinking this way, embrace the unknown and put yourself in new situations.

This app allows you to explore new hobbies! If you want to DJ, or paint a mural, it can locate new activities happening near you.

What we love: There is a social aspect to the app where you can share updates about your new experiences with other users!

Beli is a restaurant tracking and food reviewing app that allows you to experiment with local restaurants you’ve never been to before. You can keep track of the places you want to eat at, see what your friends are having, and find new foods.

What we love: It’s super creative and free to download!

đź’ˇ Challenge of the week

Already hinted in the summary above, try something new this week! Let your brain get into that “uncomfortable” zone. Here are some examples:

- try a new hobby

- start a conversation with a stranger

- find a new place (restaurant, cafe, park, etc.) to check out

That’s all for this newsletter! We hope you enjoyed learning about the science behind feeling stuck and how to overcome it by embracing the unknown.

Until next week,

The Productivity Blueprint Team

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