Portland therapist shares 5 surprising ways your brain is wired to sabotage your mental health: ‘When you get rejected…’

The brain utilises 20% of the body's energy, and does not readily give up old toxic habits, shared Jeff Guenther.

Mental health is an important part of overall health that has a direct connection to the functioning of our mind and brain.

While we may make conscious efforts to improve the state of our mental health, it is often blocked by our brains themselves, according to Portland-based Jeff Guenther, licensed professional counsellor.

Taking to Instagram on December 16, he shared a video where he expanded on the topic by listing 5 ways in which our brain functions against our best interests.

1. Tracking social rank

“Your brain runs a constant subconscious background app tracking your social rank,” stated Jeff. “In the wild, low status meant death. Today, seeing someone seemingly better than you on Instagram triggers a primal survival panic, releasing stress hormones as if you're about to be kicked out of the tribe.”

2. Equating mental and physical pain

“Your brain doesn't have a separate filing cabinet for emotional hurt and physical hurt. It throws them in the same drawer,” the therapist explained. “When you get rejected, broken up with, or ignored, your brain lights up the exact same area as it does if you broke your leg. To your nervous system, a broken heart is a literal injury.”

3. Being an energy hog

The brain consumes a significant portion of our calorie intake to function. Calling it an “energy hog,” Jeff shared that the organ utilises 20% of our body’s energy, and prefers familiar habits to save fuel. This includes holding on to toxic ones over new, healthy behaviour. “Change requires massive caloric effort. It literally costs you energy to get better.”

4. Editing memory based on mood

“Every time you recall a memory, your brain pulls it up, edits it based on your current mood and resaves it,” revealed Jeff. “If you're depressed today, you're likely rewriting past memories to be sadder than they actually were, effectively gaslighting yourself about your own history.”

5. Tendency to wander

The brain prefers to stay engaged. As such, if we are not focused on a task, it defaults to a wandering state. “Research shows that a wandering mind is often an unhappy mind because it tends to drift towards ruminating on the past or worrying about the future, rather than staying present,” noted Jeff.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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