Margie Freeman LCSW

Providing individual and couples therapy counseling in South Orange and Northern New Jersey

How do people change?

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change_margie Freeman LCSWStriving for New Goals in 2014

How do people change?

About 2,400 years ago, Aristotle said that habits (the things you repeat over and over again) lead to your character and that your character leads to your destiny. In recent years, there has been a lot of research on neuroplasticity, which verifies his perspective!

Many habits and addictions are a function of neuroplasticity. The paradox of neuroplasticity is that our brains can develop more rigid or more flexible behaviors. Be cautious about how you train your brain, because if you train yourself in bad habits, it will be difficult (not impossible) to overcome.  Trained neurons fire stronger signals. Stay conscious, to train your brain to form habits that you desire.

As you set new goals for 2014, stay mindful of your goals and practice, practice, practice flexibility to develop desired new patterns. These repeated healthy patterns will eventually create new stronger pathways in your brain.  You can train your brain for greater flexibility, and achieve your goals for the new year!