It is constantly running models built from its history - and using them to predict and filter data about what's about to happen,
and what we're capable of handling.
It's efficient.. and.. it's also why 'change is expensive'. (and not always favored by the brain-body system!)
Now lets add dsyregulation, anxiety, overwhelm...
all of that noise can shift us out of flexible, adaptive learning and into rigid, reactive, old habit-driven behavior.
All of that 'noise' can limit our ability to update our behaviors and expand beyond our undesired patterns...
Which brings me to why I teach these two things together. I
can't talk about self-regulation and nervous system states without talking about mindset..
and I can't talk about mindset without bringing up nervous system states and regulation... they are so intertwined that it feels misaligned for me to not bring them both into the dance.
It's why my graduate studies and career began with the idea of 'self-directed neuroplasticity' and mindset.. and quickly began to include self-regulation.
Nervous system tools matter.
But they become more effective when people understand something even deeper:
that the parts of themselves they believe are fixed may actually be changeable.
(in an upcoming article, we'll go into 3 specific things that are often not talked about when it comes to plasticity and malleability)
Because mindset isn't just a 'soft skill', 'yay, just believe in yourself!' topic...
It's part of the predictive architecture that leads people to interpret effort, stress, setbacks, identity, and what's possible for them in ways that either enhance their life, or keep them stuck.
If someone believes "I'm just an anxious person," every regulation strategy comes up against the wall of that prediction.
If they believe effort means they lack ability, they'll often abandon the tools that might have helped their brain.
If they see stress as proof they're failing, they'll miss that it might just be their nervous system adapting to something new.
That's why mindset sits upstream.
It influences whether people stay with the process long enough for the process to work.
Thank you for being someone who wants to understand this at the level of mechanism, and not just technique. That curiosity plays a part in expanding beyond tools and into a realm that allows us to have a different relationship with ourselves.
Every time you help another person get a glimpse that they are not fixed, unchangeable.. you are transmitting a powerful and clear signal into a very noisy, overwhelmed and reactive world.
Wishing you clear signal this weekend,
Stefanie
P.S. When someone realizes that what feels "fixed" may actually be a prediction their brain has learned... a new future becomes possible.
The Mindset Science Teaching Framework gives you the science and teaching tools to create those moments of realization again and again.. for your clients, your audience, your students, and yourself.
What you get with the Framework:
9 bite-sized modules (5–10 minutes each) taking you underneath "fixed vs. growth" into the neuroscience of prediction, failure, plasticity, and identity, including Regulation Before Revelation
The Human Potential Blueprint: a printable companion for every module with the research in plain language you can repeat out loud, with a teaching diagrams, and a weekly noticing practice
The Behind the Breakthrough Masterclass: watch me teach this in real time, and take the phrasing, analogies, and thought experiments for your own rooms
The Transformation Teaching Kit: full slide decks I've used to teach mindset, the Neuro Influencer Mini Book, and the Mindset, Discomfort and New Realities mini-book
Use it to:
Explain growth mindset through the brain, not motivation.. so analytical and skeptical start asking questions and opening up to what they might have previously brushed off as 'fluff'..
Give people the mechanism behind why change is possible, so they stay with the process long enough for it to work
Pull from it before your next session, workshop, or conversation: the language, the slides, the exercises are all there. I encourage everyone to try out the exact phrasing and explanations I use to see how it can spark new conversations.
PPS- if you haven’t purchased Teach the Nervous System, The Mindset Science Framework curriculum is designed to be synergistic with Teach the Nervous System.
After you purchase the Mindset Science Framework, you'll see an offer to grab the Teach the Nervous System Bundle (Teach the Nervous System micro course PLUS the Clarity Deck) for a discounted price.
How do I help people believe they're capable of becoming someone who can use those regulation skills consistently?
All of my micro-courses are designed to be used together. The order to do them in is more based on what sparks your interest first! You can binge watch the 5-10 minute videos and then return to them and the supporting material later 🙂
As a thank you for subscribers, I'm offering a coupon for the Mindset Science Teaching Framework to grab it for only $57
coupon code: NEUROMINDSET30
References and further reading:
Meadows, D. H. (1999). Leverage points: Places to intervene in a system. The Sustainability Institute.
Burnette, J. L., O'Boyle, E. H., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation. Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 655–701.
Vogel, S., & Schwabe, L. (2016). Learning and memory under stress: Implications for the classroom. npj Science of Learning, 1, 16011.
Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 716–733.
