It's not easy being green

(But not as hard as we make it)

If you've been through a class of Self-Defeating Habits of Otherwise Brilliant PeopleŽ, you may be familiar with reflexive and reflective problem solving. In the reflexive mode, we make snap judgments and often assume the worst about the cause of our problems. When we're being reflective, instead, we get curious and search for root causes.

You may be wondering how that relates to neuroplasticity. (If you are, congratulations on being so reflective!) The tie-in lies in what's called the "green zone" and the "red zone." These two states of mind can be compared to reflective and reflexive thought. Today, we're going to focus on the green zone.

The brain works in the green zone when its basic needs are met and it's not disturbed by threats, loss, or the possibility of rejection. Anxiety drops, the brain burns fewer resources, and our problem solving becomes responsive instead of reactive. And being in the green zone feels good. The body and mind de-stress and recharge, and the absence of threat means that we're far more likely to act with grace and virtue.

Sounds nice, doesn't it? While the red zone has its place (and we'll talk more about that next week), it would be great if we could spend most of our time in the green. And in fact, that's how we developed when we were hunters and gatherers. While there was plenty of danger, most of the time, we weren't actively threatened. Without threats of loss or rejection, we were free to be green most of the time.

So what happened? Why does being in the green zone seem like more the exception than the rule? It comes back to the negativity bias. Those times when we really need to go red, we need to do it fast and hard. That means that the brain's always on the lookout for any reason to shift gears. Unfortunately, our brains do a bad job of distinguishing between a hungry tiger and getting the kids home in time to cook dinner.

The good news is that most of the time, things aren't as bad as our minds make them out to be. By practicing taking in the good, we can gradually shift our brain's default back into the green. With some commitment, we can live out the benevolence and virtue that characterizes it. Remember, "cells that fire together, wire together." Even if our brain doesn't feel like it's 100% on board, if we make an effort to live out the green, the mind will follow.

There's even more good news: the green zone is contagious. At Thera Rising, we consistently find that most people want to be in the green zone. Most of us just don't know how (or where it is, or that it's there to begin with). Seeing others lay the way is the first step, and with some mindfulness and encouragement, the rest can begin to develop on its own.