Certainty - What our brains crave for
By Christina Khoo
It is a widely accepted fact that the scientific community refers to our brains as Social Brains. This does not only mean that our brains (and therefore us) need social interactions. But there is a lot of research out there that points to the fact that there are specific “social domains” that impact our brains quite significantly, causing us to experience emotional responses that could impact our performance, our judgement, our rationality.
A very strong driver is Certainty. Our brains crave it. Our brains need to make sense of things and fit it into patterns that already exist. And the lack of certainty can actually cause what neuroscientists call a “threat” to the brain.
Just like everyone my life has been changed. Perhaps not as drastically, some may argue, as others’. But nonetheless it’s changed. And my brain, like yours, is finding ways to cope with all the uncertainty that’s been bombarding us every day, and throughout the day for some. Uncertainty about when the circuit breaker will actually end. Uncertainty about what our “new normal” might be when it does end. Uncertainty about whether we might ourselves be infected. Uncertainty about our financial state. And down to even small things like uncertainty how our children will behave today, or whether the queue at the market will be unbearably long tomorrow. You get the picture.
Being under a constant state of threat throughout the day is not only mentally, physically and emotionally draining, having this low-grade hum of threat in the background causes us to be less effective because it impacts our ability to fully utilize our mental faculties and it heightens our awareness of even more potential threats around us, often triggering off our in-built self-preservation system of Fight-Flight-Freeze.
Don’t take my word for it. Just spend a couple of minutes to reflect on the past few days. Were there feelings of uneasiness at times, a sense of not being in control, frustration because we don’t know something? And, if you’re being honest, how did that impact your effectiveness or even your ability to think clearly?
So what’s the cure for this malady? Unfortunately it’s not a cure per se. But I’d like to offer you some simple strategies that might help you manage with your brain in mind. If your brain craves certainty, then give it certainty!
Plan Your Day
Start each day with a broad-stroke idea of what your day will look like. Or get into a bit more detail as you think through with a clear morning head, what the big-ticket items are and fun activities you can include. You can even get down to organizing your day more effectively that way. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t go 100% according to your plan. Just the act of creating a plan and being mindful to follow it gives your brain not only a sense of certainty but also a sense of being in control. (The brain also craves Autonomy).
Create simple task-listings of things to accomplish
I find this also to be very up-lifting. Chunk your to-do’s into smaller more achievable pieces and just the act of being able to check them off gives your brain a dose of dopamine which helps stabilize your emotions and makes your feel good.
Limit your exposure to CoVid news
Whether it’s CNA, CNN or BBC there’s only so much of it our brains can and need to take in. And realize also that there are usually just a few “breaking news” that’s being recycled throughout the day, so plan your news-intake slots deliberately. One of the things that works well for me is to keep up with my favorite news programs on daily podcasts. That way it cuts out all the commercials and just focuses on the main news.
This post is written by Christina Khoo, co-founder and active member of Compass Golf Club.
Christina is a leadership and executive coach who works with individuals and teams seeking to create sustainable change by employing a brain-based approach to her coaching. Her belief in the inexhaustible human potential in people fuels her quest to provide inspirational messages, structures and systems to facilitate self-discovery and greater achievements in her clients.
She comes with a background of 25 years in the financial services industry where she honed her skills as a respected leader, coach and motivator to thousands of consultants. A great communicator, her engaging presentations have made her a well sought-after speaker and trainer in the industry. She has graced many platforms and training events both locally and internationally over the past 20 years, addressing audiences on a range of topics from sales & marketing, to leadership and management and personal & professional effectiveness.
