{"id":2339,"date":"2021-09-27T12:28:29","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T17:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.med.virginia.edu\/mindfulness\/?p=2339"},"modified":"2021-09-30T05:33:53","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T10:33:53","slug":"change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.med.virginia.edu\/mindfulness\/2021\/09\/27\/change\/","title":{"rendered":"Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Schorling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each of us is constantly changing.\u00a0 Many of the cells in our bodies turn over every day, with old cells dying to be replaced by new cells.\u00a0 The molecules that make up the cells and fluids in our bodies are also being exchanged.\u00a0 Our bodies today are composed of many different components than yesterday.<\/p>\n

Our brains are also changing.\u00a0 New neural connections are being established and old connections are being pruned.\u00a0 This even happens in the memory centers in the brain.\u00a0 Our memories are constantly being altered with new information added and details changed.\u00a0 Despite these constant changes, we may tend to think of ourselves as being fixed, and we often try to hold on to a construction of a self that is solid and immutable.<\/p>\n

Holding on to this view of a solid separate self can cause us suffering.\u00a0 We may feel more separate from others and the world around us than we actually are.\u00a0 With every breath in and every breath out we are exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with other living things.\u00a0 The same is true with the nutrients in what we eat, many of which will become part of us until the cells they are incorporated into die and are metabolized and excreted.\u00a0 From a physiologic perspective, we are intimately connected to other living things.<\/p>\n

We can also get stuck in thinking that we have a solid psychological self that is unchanging, that we are a certain way and that\u2019s just the way it is.\u00a0 Yet it isn\u2019t the way it is. Brain pathways are being constantly altered, even memories, often outside our conscience awareness. These can have behavioral consequences.\u00a0 If we have an unpleasant reaction to a favorite food, like getting sick after eating it, we may find not only do we not like it, we can\u2019t imagine ever eating it again. This is usually not a conscious choice, it just happens.<\/p>\n

We can also intentionally change our neural pathways.\u00a0 We do this every time we meditate, focusing on our present moment experience rather than on thinking about the future or the past.\u00a0 This creates new connections between nerve cells and reinforces our ability to pay attention to what are experiencing right now, which is not dependent on the construction of a solid separate self.\u00a0 Even if a difficult emotion is present we can notice it for what it is without identifying with it.\u00a0 If we experience sadness we can note \u201csadness is present\u201d, as opposed to thinking \u201cI am sad\u201d.\u00a0 Emotions also change. If we are aware of sadness and can acknowledge it, perhaps responding with self-kindness or compassion, we may find that it lightens a bit or even dissipates.<\/p>\n

Change is inevitable and occurs constantly.\u00a0 Rather than resisting change, when we accept change and even cultivate it, we may find ourselves feeling less inclined to needing things to be a certain way, and more connected with others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each of us is constantly changing.\u00a0 Many of the cells in our bodies turn over every day, with old cells dying to be replaced by new cells.\u00a0 The molecules that make up the cells and fluids in our bodies are also being exchanged.\u00a0 Our bodies today are composed of many different components than yesterday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our brains are also changing.\u00a0 New neural connections are being established and old connections are being pruned.\u00a0 This even happens in the memory centers in the brain.\u00a0 Our memories are constantly being altered with new information added and details changed.\u00a0 Despite these constant changes, we may tend to think of ourselves as being fixed, and we often try to hold on to a construction of a self that is solid and immutable.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1202,"featured_media":2341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monthly-musings"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\nChange - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.med.virginia.edu\/mindfulness\/2021\/09\/27\/change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Change - 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