The High Five Habit
How about starting your day with a high-five in the mirror? While this may sound like a cliché motivational speaker’s advice, there is actually a valid neurological basis behind it.
Our emotional centre, the amygdala, and the part of our brain responsible for movement, the basal ganglia, are physically entangled within our brain and interact on a deep level. We can perform a physical gesture, such as a high-five, with a positive attitude and reinforcing messages like:
“You got this!”
“You can do hard things!”
“You are worthy of attention, compassion and affection.”
“You are worth supporting!”
As a result, we create new neural pathways that support these positive affirmations about ourselves.
Our brains have a deep understanding of how a high-five should feel in our bodies. If the sensation feels different or uncomfortable, it may be an opportunity to explore our core beliefs about ourselves. We can ask ourselves if we have a fear that something bad or scary might happen if we embrace self-compassion and encouragement. Through this process, we may gain important insights into how we perceive ourselves and our place in the world.
In addition to promoting self-compassion and encouragement, practicing this habit could also help remove blockages that prevent us from living in alignment with our Wholeness.
(Thanks to Jules Taylor-Shore for this teaching.)
