The Upward Spiral

Part 1 of the book is all about the neuroscience of depression. It’s called “Stuck in a Downward Spiral.” Part 2 of the book is all about the neuroscience of REVERSING the course of depression. It’s called “Creating an Upward Spiral.”

That passage is from the very first chapter in Part 2 on how to create the upward spirals. It’s called “Exercise Your Brain.”

We’ve talked about this countless times but I’m always happy to remind myself and to remind you (and your families and colleagues and clients and…) that exercise does a mind, body, and soul good! So… For the million and second time: Exercise is good for you.

Let’s remember that the “upward spiral” Alex is talking about is basically the same thing we’re always talking about with aggregating and compounding tiny gains over an extended period of time. All of our little +1 Optimizations “intermingle and build on each other in an upward spiral toward feeling better.” (Can you FEEL it?!)

Practically speaking: How’s YOUR exercise these days?

Of course, if you haven’t been moving much lately you won’t necessarily *feel* like it. That’s fine. Choose to go move your body in whatever way gives you joy for a minute (Tiny Habits for the win!) and kick start that upward spiral TODAY!

P.S. If you need to be reminded of just how awesome it is, check out our Notes on Kelly McGonigal’s The Joy of Movement and John Ratey’s Spark.

P.P.S. Alex tells us: “Sitting is the new smoking. In other words, it’s bad for you. If you sit at a computer all day (like me), get up and walk around at least once every hour. And every twenty minutes, briefly stretch your hands, arms, and back. Try working at a standing desk or replace your chair with an exercise ball. Walk while you’re on the phone.”

That’s from the chapter featuring the second practical tip to help create the upward spiral: “Set Goals, Make Decisions.”

As you may have noticed, when our mood drops and we feel more stressed and anxious and depressed, we have a harder time setting goals and making decisions.

Solution?

Make decisions. However tiny.

When we do that, we regain a sense of agency which is so essential to our well-being. On the other hand, “Indecisiveness is part of the downward spiral because it enhances your feeling of being out of control.”

Alex also talks about the power of reducing choices in our lives and leans on the wisdom from Barry Schwartz’ Paradox of Choice.

Earlier in the book he tells us: “Go for good enough. Worrying is often triggered by wanting to make the perfect choice or by trying to maximize everything. When buying a used car, you want one that is cheap, reliable, safe, sexy, the right color, and fuel efficient. Unfortunately, no single option is likely to be the best in all those dimensions. If you try to have the best of everything, you’re likely to be paralyzed by indecision or dissatisfied with your choice. In fact, this kind of ‘maximizing’ has been proven to increase depression. So don’t try to make the most amazing dinner; start out by just making a good dinner. Don’t try to be the perfect parent; just be a good one. Don’t try to be your happiest; just be happy.”

While in this context he tells us: “When your prefrontal cortex has to loop through many potential scenarios, it increases the risk of triggering anxiety or worry. When you decide on one path, then you’ve reduced the number of variables the prefrontal cortex needs to optimize.”

All of which leads us back to the first line of this idea…

Figure out what’s important to you.

Who do you want to be Energy + Work + Love wise? What goals will you pursue and what virtues will you embody in the process?

One more time: Set goals. Make decisions. Take action. TODAY.

That’s from the chapter on the fourth tip: “Develop Positive Habits.”

For the record, the third tip is “Give Your Brain a Rest” and features wisdom on the power of sleep. One more time: Check out our Notes on Why We Sleep. As Matthew Walker tells us: Sleep is the very foundation on which the other pillars rest.

Short story on Alex’s sleep wisdom? “The key for improving your sleep comes down to two main factors: dealing with your anxieties and stress and improving your sleep hygiene.”

So, back to developing positive habits. As we say all the time (specifically in Willpower 101 + Habits 101 + Algorithms 101 and with our Coaches in our Algorithms Module), we need to use our willpower wisely to install habits that run on autopilot.

And, there’s only one way to do that: Repetition.

As Alex says: “Ultimately it comes down to the most cliched but scientifically true maxim: practice, practice, practice. To create new, good habits, you have to repeat them over and over again until your brain rewires itself.”

I also love what he has to say about those inevitable “special moments” when we fail to do the thing we said we wanted to do. What do we do in those situations?

First of all, we need to KNOW that they’re going to happen. So we get our Self Compassion on and remember to quit shaming ourselves when we inevitably miss the mark.

Then we run our “Needs Work!” algorithm. “If I miss the mark with an intended behavior, then I’ll take a deep breath, rewind to the moment when I made the decision to go the wrong direction and replay the scene AS IF I had crushed it.”

Boom. Done. Carry on.

P.S. Alex tells us: “Be as patient and kind with yourself as you would be with a cute little puppy that you’re trying to house-train. Stressing the puppy out will only make it pee on the floor. When your habit doesn’t take at first, just go for it again. And again… and again—and eventually it will start to stick.”

P.P.S. “Resolve to change. Making a resolution to change is more effective than simply wanting to change, and dramatically increases your chance of success. Being specific in what you want to change helps make it more achievable. For example, ‘I resolve to work out more’ is not as effective as ‘I resolve to go to the gym before work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.’”

That’s from a chapter on the fifth tip: “Take Advantage of Biofeedback.” Know this: “Your brain constantly receives signals from the rest of the body telling it how to feel. Learning to understand and control these signals is a big part of kick-starting an upward spiral.”

Good news: The simplest stuff is also often the most powerful. If you feel so inspired, how about we practice a few little things now?

Let’s start by changing your posture. Sit up or stand up a little taller. Activate that power pose and virtually high five your inner daimon. Now, let’s relax your face. Deliberately soften your eyes and your jaw. Smile. Now, let’s slow down your breathing. Perhaps practice your favorite count. Mine? Inhale for 6. Hold for 1. Exhale for 8. Ahhhh…

Remember: “The brain changes its activity based on what the body is doing.” Let’s help our minds relax by relaxing our bodies as we flip the parasympathetic nervous system switch and make Energized Tranquility our default way of showing up.

P.S. The sixth tip? “Activate a Gratitude Circuit.” As we know, gratitude is huge. Alex tells us: “Importantly, the effect of gratitude is greatest in people with the highest level of hopelessness. When everything appears bleak and meaningless, a little gratitude goes a long way.”

That’s from a chapter on the seventh tip called “Rely on the Power of Others.” Alex shares fascinating studies that capture the power of other people to help us create upward spirals.

Like this one: “In addition, holding hands with someone can help comfort you and your brain through painful situations. One fMRI study scanned married women as they were warned that they were about to get a small electric shock. While anticipating the painful shocks, the brain showed a predictable pattern of response in pain and worrying circuits, with activation in the insula, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During a separate scan, the women either held their husband’s hands or the hand of the experimenter. When a subject held her husband’s hand, the threat of shock had a smaller effect. The brain showed reduced activation in both the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—that is, less activity in the pain and worrying circuits. In addition, the stronger the marriage, the lower the discomfort-related insula activity. But even just holding the hand of the experimenter—a stranger—reduced activation in the anterior cingulate so that the women felt less distressed about the shocks.”

And this one: “One fascinating study allowed mice to recover from a small injury either by themselves or in pairs. Mice recovering by themselves were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and give up easily on difficult tasks, while mice with a partner showed less depression and more fortitude.”

When we’re not feeling great, we don’t feel like moving our bodies. But… We know that exercise can give us the nudge on that upward spiral. Same thing with connecting with others. When we’re feeling down, we tend to want to isolate ourselves. But, guess what? That’s when we often most need to connect.

Here’s to embracing the power of exercise, decision making, sleep, habits, biofeedback, gratitude, social support, and professional help as we use neuroscience to reverse the course of depression, one small change at a time. TODAY.