Stories

Neuroscience and Walking through Snow

Do you find it challenging to explain how our minds work and how we can change our habits for teenagers?

As a parent, carer or therapist, you may struggle to explain this to a young person. In her article "Using Neuroscience with Teens to Challenge and Promote Change", Elisa Nebolsine shares a short story on how our brains change with learning, effort, and repetition. The story features a person who had to walk through thick snow to get home and had to dig in the snow to create a path.

“The more you walk on your new path, the easier it is to walk. As you continue to walk back and forth and back and forth, the snow gets packed down and a nice, grooved path emerges.”

“Our brains change - not with snow, but with learning, effort, and repetition. At first, changing thoughts and behaviours feel impossible and like way too much effort, but over time and with consistent practice, the change becomes easier.“

This story is an analogy for how our brains work. It is a way to help teenagers understand the science behind acquiring knowledge and developing new habits.

 

Read the full article: http://tinyurl.com/mw8amspj