Learning a New Thing...step one

Lately I've been pondering this question in my own experience of learning to paint better. They say as we age our brains become less elastic, whatever that means. (sounds ominous) But they also say keeping it challenged with new learning can stimulate neuron growth and new synapses. For me it feels like half the battle is to put a halt on old patterns and habits of doing things and intentionally working on the newly learned information. But is intention enough?

It's a fact that high anxiety produces  stress reactions that shut down the mind's best response to learning new skills, so developing a mental environment of receptivity seems like a good early goal. What does that look like? As I observe others (and myself) in new situations, like a new job for instance, the first few encounters tend to be slow and unfamiliar, bordering on incompetent, possibly embarrassment. We don't like that! It upsets our self-image and causes stressful biochemical reactions. I have found it helpful to learn to pay attention to what my body is telling me, noticing and naming the physical responses like shaky hands, dry mouth, pounding heart. I've noticed that a few minutes of high anxiety makes me feel very sleepy and distracted. Also hungry! But I am not a child, right? So what to do? I've learned more and more to assesses and accept by first: taking a few deep breaths, gradually slowing my breathing rate; next, intentionally relaxing from shoulders on down, maybe rolling my neck a bit to release retained tension.  Even doing just these two simple steps is often enough to calm the "fight or flight" mini crisis the brain goes into. Voila! Frontal lobe, with all its sensible, problem solving, language absorbing abilities, is back in the saddle. Welcome the Beginners Mind (and get used to it) because there will be many stages of learning in your chosen discipline that require humility and openness! 

​Stay tuned for more on Learning in the next few weeks! Thanks for reading my blog!!