Why Do I Do That?!

May 22, 2024

In this insightful episode of "The NeuroTribe" podcast, certified life and business coach Theresa Minnoch delves into the age-old question that plagues many of us: "Why do I do that?" Drawing from her expertise in neurodiversity, Theresa offers a compassionate exploration of the neural mechanisms that drive our behaviors, particularly those that may seem counterintuitive or self-sabotaging. Theresa introduces the concept of the "primitive brain," also known as the "lizard brain" or "caveman brain," which operates based on three fundamental drives: seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, and being efficient. She explains how many of our seemingly inexplicable actions can be traced back to these deeply ingrained survival instincts hardwired into our neural pathways. Whether it's procrastination, emotional outbursts, or struggles with organization, Theresa sheds light on how our primitive brain's desire for pleasure, avoidance of discomfort, and quest for efficiency can manifest in various ways, often leading to patterns of behavior that may not serve our higher goals and aspirations. Throughout the episode, Theresa emphasizes the importance of recognizing these primitive brain responses without judgment, and instead cultivating a more intentional and thoughtful approach to our actions and reactions. She introduces the concept of the "Yoda brain," which represents a state of mindfulness and conscious decision-making, allowing us to override our initial impulses and align our behaviors with our true values and aspirations. By understanding the neurodivergent brain's tendencies and learning to navigate the interplay between our primitive and higher-order cognitive functions, listeners gain invaluable insights into embracing their unique neurodiversity while also cultivating greater self-awareness and self-mastery. #Neurodiversity #PrimitiveBrain #LizardBrain #CavemanBrain #PleasureSeeking #PainAvoidance #Efficiency #SurvivalInstincts #NeuralPathways #Procrastination #EmotionalOutbursts #OrganizationChallenges #SelfSabotage #Mindfulness #ConsciousChoice #YodaBrain #IntentionalLiving #SelfAwareness #SelfMastery #NeurodivergeStrategies #CompassionateUnderstanding #BehaviorDecoding #LifeCoaching #BusinessCoaching #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShifts #AuthenticLiving #HigherGoals #ValueAlignment

Episode Transcript

Why Do I Do That?!
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Neuro Tribe, the podcast where authenticity meets empowerment. Your host, Teresa, is a certified business executive and life coach, navigating the intricate tapestry of neurodiversity. She's someone blessed with ADHD and dyslexia, and gifted a widow and a mother. To four incredible Neurodiverse children.

So each episode of the Neuro Tribe is an intimate exploration of life, love, business, and parenting through the lens of neurodiversity. Subscribe to the Neuro tribe on your favorite podcast platform or on YouTube and never miss a story. And if you really like this show, be sure to like, subscribe, rate, and of course share the podcast with anyone.

Join us on this unfiltered journey where no topic is too challenging, [00:01:00] no triumph too small. Let's unravel the layers of our community's experiences, embracing the struggles, celebrating the gifts, and finding empowerment and authenticity in every episode. And let's start right now.

Hey friends. Welcome back. I get this question. Often. And so I'm just going to talk to you guys about it today. Why do I do that?

And it could be. Any subject matter. Why do I yell at my kids? Why do I procrastinate? Why do I.

Skip every other step. Whatever the reason why you were trying to figure out why you do that. I'm going to try and make it as simple as possible. You guys may or may not [00:02:00] have heard of the primitive brain or the lizard brain or. The caveman brain, we have our prefrontal cortex and we also have our more primitive brain.

It goes off of our basic needs and those basic needs and those needs are seek pleasure, avoid pain and be efficient. If you are wondering why you did something, why you reacted some way, why you consistently do X, Y, Z. The answer is at some point it was programmed in your brain.

It was programmed in your mind. And your mind made that pattern, right? Why can't I just do what I need to do to get to the next level of my business. You might be afraid of being successful or you might be afraid to put yourself out there. [00:03:00] Why? Because your primitive brain is trying to keep you safe. Why do I think this thought over and over again?

Why does imposter syndrome always come up? Your brain thought at once a long time ago, it recognized that pattern that thought came up over and over again. You now have stronger synopses that go to that thought. And therefore it is brought up to you more often. Why did I react that way? Your mind went into the primitive brain and it thought it needed to protect itself.

It needed to avoid pain, or it needed to make things easy. Why can't I seem to keep my house straight. Number one, if you have ADHD, welcome to the club, we seem to have that problem. If you're not ADHD, it could be that your brain is trying to make things easier. Maybe you have a hard [00:04:00] time with organization or executive functioning needs. Either way you go about it. When we get down to the very primitive brain. Our brain is always wanting to seek pleasure. Avoid pain and be efficient. So I want to eat chocolate. I want to have sex. I want to do the things that feel good. I want to avoid pain.

I definitely don't want to do the icky tasks. I don't want to do. The miserable tasks. I don't want to. Whatever it is that is. Painful for you, right? I don't want to go into a room with a hundred different people.

And be efficient. I am going to think the same thoughts over and over again.

I'm going to try and take this complicated thing and make it a little bit more easy. So if you are asking yourself, why did I do that? And you [00:05:00] didn't really think too much thought into it. The answer probably is it came from your primitive brain. What we need to do is we need to work harder to get you into a more intentional thought.

We need to work harder to get you into what I call the Yoda brain. We want to be more intentional and thoughtful about our actions. We want to be more intentional and more. Thoughtful about what we are doing, what we aren't doing, how we are reacting. And that is the work that we have ahead of us. Please feel free to find theresaminnoch.com. Join one of our mini courses, our workshops join the neuro tribe or our beautiful mind ascend, which is a neuro divergent business program. I love you all take [00:06:00] care.

Bye-bye.

Why Do I Do That?!

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