E3 Why Do We Keep Going Back to What We Know: familiar isn't the same as safe.

Why Do We Keep Going Back to What We Know?

Mindset Medicine with Dr. Julia Bowlin — Outgrowing Hand-Me-Downs, Episode 3

Familiar isn’t the same as safe

We can see the old habit isn’t helping. We can even say out loud what we’d rather do instead. And then… we go right back to it.

It’s easy to read that as a lack of willpower. There’s another way to look at it.

In This Episode We Explore

• Why the old way keeps winning, even when we know better
• What a room full of patient people taught me about a nervous system set to fast
• How the brain sorts things into “known” and “unknown” long before it sorts them into “good” and “bad”
• Why something new can feel wrong before it feels good
• A guided visualization along a worn trail, and the path waiting at its edge

Key Insight

Going back to the old pattern gets called a lack of willpower, or a lack of follow-through. What it actually is: a brain choosing easy and known over hard and unknown. That works well when the known thing is working. It works against us when the known thing has stopped fitting. Familiar feels safe, but familiar isn’t the same as safe. And it isn’t the same as wrong, either.

The Unicity Moment™ in this episode is a short guided visualization offered for relaxation and self-reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. If you’re currently working with a therapist or physician, please continue that care. Listening is entirely voluntary, and you’re welcome to skip this portion of the episode at any time.

Reflection Question

Is there something new in my life that feels wrong, when it might simply feel unfamiliar?

Books Worth Your Time

To Me I Thee Wed — Dr. Julia Bowlin

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Thank You for Listening

We’ve looked at the reactions that show up before we choose them, where those reactions live in the body, and now the pull back to what we already know. Next time: taking a look at what we’ve been carrying, and deciding, on purpose, what we still want to keep.

Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.