Welcome to this edition of your Weekly Winning Resource all about the word homeostasis. In the health and wellness industry you hear this word regularly, but in general day to day dialect, you probably don’t give it much thought. So what does homeostasis have to do with achieving your goals and dreams? A lot, actually! Homeostasis is the body’s desire not to stray from favorable or ideal conditions. What makes an ideal condition? The best example in science of homeostasis is your body temperature. The average human’s body chemistry functions at its best somewhere around 98.6. Your body is constantly working to maintain this optimal temperature. Anything you do that impacts the efficiency of the work your body is doing to keep this constant steady will trigger some kind of response. A great example is when you get too cold or too hot, you shiver or sweat. The bottom line is, your body wants things to stay steady as she goes. Consistency is your best friend. This is good except for when you want to make some positive changes in your life. Your homeostasis can cause your brain to work against any kind of drastic shift, including changes that are ultimately good for you. Consider someone who is trying to give up nicotine or caffeine. If your body has acclimated to maintaining a constant steady with a certain amount of stimulants, this is what it is used to. If you try to remove this substance, your body will respond negatively with headaches, irritability, body aches, and sleeplessness. In this scenario, a person is doing something good for themselves, but their body is fighting against the positive change, at least at first. In time, your body will readjust with the new changes, but it takes a little time. Homeostasis has a lot to do with the positive changes you’ll need to make and ultimately achieve the goals and dreams you desire. 

Resistance to change is a natural reaction within every human being. Everyone of us resists significant change whether it’s for the worse or for the better. Our body, brain, and behavior have a built in tendency to stay the same within rather narrow limits and to snap back when changed. This is called homeostasis. This life preserving process is a good thing, but it can keep us from our goals if we’re not careful. The good news is, homeostasis isn’t all powerful, it’s simply a force we must work with. We found a great article that will help you better understand how to approach this homeostasis problem. Check it out here:

 

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