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January 2009 
Everything Changes! How Change Impacts Us No. 9
Posted on Aug 6th, 2008
by 
dannyboy
dannyboy
In this segment we're going to wrap up the introduction to our internal operating system and the reactions it has to perceived change. Viewing the internal operating system from an objective standpoint allows for a glimpse of the impact change has on our thoughts and emotions. As we'll discuss it's important to understand that our reactions to change produce very real physical and mental consequences. By objectifying the process it might seem easy to fix, but our automatic reactions to change are more deeply rooted than we imagine. Understanding how change impacts us is directly linked to the functioning of the internal operating system. For that reason, part three is devoted entirely to exploring this key system in greater detail.
The reason we have such difficulty with change is it disrupts our sense of knowing. When we get into a routine we have certain expectations about how life is going--about what's going to happen, where we'll be, and with whom. Change often appears to happen overnight. Sometimes that's true, but most times it's not. In any event, it serves as a disruption to the expectations formed by our internal operating system.
S: The psychological trauma of such an event might be the physical equivalent of getting hit by a car, but the pain of psychological trauma doesn't present like a broken arm or leg. When people see we have a physical injury we're likely to receive some acknowledgement. It's more difficult for others to sympathize with our psychological pain because it's less visible and we tend to keep it locked up inside.
S: Ok, using the exercise we just completed (see blog No. 8) as an example let's see how change impacts us. There are two important ways in which our internal operating system represented by our thoughts and feelings allows change to impact us.
First, every feeling we listed imparts it's own form of stress. Being stressed can cause any number of physical problems. Stress lowers the body's natural immune system. Lower immunity means greater susceptibility to illness--colds, flu and other communicable diseases. Stress can contribute to general aches and pains, headaches and muscle tension. Stress may result in overeating and may be a contributing factor to weight gain. Stress can contribute to insomnia. A study from a few years ago suggested that 72% of all visits to the doctor's office were stress related. So changes in our environment create thoughts that trigger emotions and produce stress. Stress eventually leads to a deteriorating sense of well-being--impacting both our mental and physical health.
The other way that our internal operating system allows change to impact us is through the effect on our actions. We've shown there's a mind/body connection. What the mind thinks, the body feels. And what the body feels can also trigger the mind to further reactions. We may feel irritable, easily agitated, prone to outbursts or temper tantrums--overreacting to conditions or input from others. We might experience moodiness or feel depressed. We may fail to take action where appropriate. Or we may take actions that are inappropriate causing harm to ourselves and others.
Q: How strong and positive do you feel about yourself when you're experiencing the feelings listed above?
S: Remember that our thoughts and feelings are actions that create effects that create still more effects, in a continuous cycle.
Q: If you're feeling uncertain, a little depressed and deflated, how are you likely to act?
A: Uncertain, depressed and deflated. Because what we think and feel are the forces driving our actions.
Key Concept: The real impact of change is the effect it has on the thoughts and emotions produced by our internal operating system.
Internal Operating System Summary
S: We chose to open the discussion of our internal operating system with an exploration of our thoughts expressed as beliefs. What we wanted to reveal through the exercises was the way in which our internal operating system uses our beliefs to interact with our surroundings. We discovered that we have lots of thoughts often expressed as beliefs covering a wide range of topics. And that almost all of these thoughts or beliefs have come from external sources as sensory information that we've distilled and filtered. We discovered that accessing our beliefs is easiest when we have a context. We also uncovered a link between the things we do--the way we act--and the underlying thoughts and beliefs that prompt those actions. Finally, we showed how thoughts are the underlying action in the production of emotions. And, in this regard, that it's often easier to use our feelings to work our way back to what we're thinking.
S: In this section we also addressed how the perception of change causes our internal operating system to react to the events in our outer environment. Our initial reaction is formed by thoughts expressed as beliefs, ideas, assumptions, opinions or memories. Some of these thoughts will give rise to emotions, which are felt in the body. This shows how change that is initially a mental perception can result in stress and other physical ailments in the body. And, we discussed how what we think and feel has an influence on how we act. Our internal operating system continuously interacts with our environment to drive our actions.
In part three we'll have an opportunity to extend our awareness of the internal operating system processes and look at how that can play an important role in easing the change experience.
Internal Operating System
Basic Functioning (Recap)
1. The senses collect data from external sources. Giving rise to thoughts expressed as beliefs, ideas, assumptions, opinions, memories, etc. These thoughts are then stored by our internal operating system.
2. The internal operating system enables us to interact with our surroundings by retrieving the data it has previously stored in memory.
3. The nature of the conditions and the surroundings provides a context for accessing our thoughts and these thoughts in turn become the impetus for further action.
Q: Ok, so how is everyone feeling about this introduction to our internal operating system? Is it making some sense?
S: If you're not feeling totally comfortable at this point don't worry. Any new information takes time to become part of our internal operating system. Until that happens it's natural to experience some feelings of hesitation or doubt. What I'm showing you here reflects a change. It’s information that perhaps you've not been exposed to before now. We can use this experience to see the crux of the problem with all change.
Q: For example, if you're feeling some hesitation or doubt right now, what thoughts are underlying your feelings? Why do you think you feel the way you do?
A: The chances are you don't have enough experience with this material to accept it, yet. It's simply a matter of needing more time and your own experiences to find validation for the concepts.
S: The reason we don't change easily is because even to add new information to our internal operating system takes time. I use the exercises as one way for you to apply your own awareness to the concepts. This gives you a chance to see if what I'm saying is true for you, rather than just taking my word for it. But it's still a learning process… and that's our next topic of discussion.
Note to reader: Thanks for reading! Next time (Everything Changes No. 10) we'll draw a connection between the experience of change and learning, and why learning can sometimes be an impediment to change. If you have questions or comments I'd love to hear them!
Copyright 2008. The information here is reproduced from Everything Changes! Understanding and Dealing with the Change in our Lives. It is provided for your personal use. The material may not be reproduced, copied or used in any other way without written permission from the author, Dan Richardson.
The reason we have such difficulty with change is it disrupts our sense of knowing. When we get into a routine we have certain expectations about how life is going--about what's going to happen, where we'll be, and with whom. Change often appears to happen overnight. Sometimes that's true, but most times it's not. In any event, it serves as a disruption to the expectations formed by our internal operating system.
S: The psychological trauma of such an event might be the physical equivalent of getting hit by a car, but the pain of psychological trauma doesn't present like a broken arm or leg. When people see we have a physical injury we're likely to receive some acknowledgement. It's more difficult for others to sympathize with our psychological pain because it's less visible and we tend to keep it locked up inside.
S: Ok, using the exercise we just completed (see blog No. 8) as an example let's see how change impacts us. There are two important ways in which our internal operating system represented by our thoughts and feelings allows change to impact us.
First, every feeling we listed imparts it's own form of stress. Being stressed can cause any number of physical problems. Stress lowers the body's natural immune system. Lower immunity means greater susceptibility to illness--colds, flu and other communicable diseases. Stress can contribute to general aches and pains, headaches and muscle tension. Stress may result in overeating and may be a contributing factor to weight gain. Stress can contribute to insomnia. A study from a few years ago suggested that 72% of all visits to the doctor's office were stress related. So changes in our environment create thoughts that trigger emotions and produce stress. Stress eventually leads to a deteriorating sense of well-being--impacting both our mental and physical health.
The other way that our internal operating system allows change to impact us is through the effect on our actions. We've shown there's a mind/body connection. What the mind thinks, the body feels. And what the body feels can also trigger the mind to further reactions. We may feel irritable, easily agitated, prone to outbursts or temper tantrums--overreacting to conditions or input from others. We might experience moodiness or feel depressed. We may fail to take action where appropriate. Or we may take actions that are inappropriate causing harm to ourselves and others.
Q: How strong and positive do you feel about yourself when you're experiencing the feelings listed above?
S: Remember that our thoughts and feelings are actions that create effects that create still more effects, in a continuous cycle.
Q: If you're feeling uncertain, a little depressed and deflated, how are you likely to act?
A: Uncertain, depressed and deflated. Because what we think and feel are the forces driving our actions.
Key Concept: The real impact of change is the effect it has on the thoughts and emotions produced by our internal operating system.
Internal Operating System Summary
S: We chose to open the discussion of our internal operating system with an exploration of our thoughts expressed as beliefs. What we wanted to reveal through the exercises was the way in which our internal operating system uses our beliefs to interact with our surroundings. We discovered that we have lots of thoughts often expressed as beliefs covering a wide range of topics. And that almost all of these thoughts or beliefs have come from external sources as sensory information that we've distilled and filtered. We discovered that accessing our beliefs is easiest when we have a context. We also uncovered a link between the things we do--the way we act--and the underlying thoughts and beliefs that prompt those actions. Finally, we showed how thoughts are the underlying action in the production of emotions. And, in this regard, that it's often easier to use our feelings to work our way back to what we're thinking.
S: In this section we also addressed how the perception of change causes our internal operating system to react to the events in our outer environment. Our initial reaction is formed by thoughts expressed as beliefs, ideas, assumptions, opinions or memories. Some of these thoughts will give rise to emotions, which are felt in the body. This shows how change that is initially a mental perception can result in stress and other physical ailments in the body. And, we discussed how what we think and feel has an influence on how we act. Our internal operating system continuously interacts with our environment to drive our actions.
In part three we'll have an opportunity to extend our awareness of the internal operating system processes and look at how that can play an important role in easing the change experience.
Internal Operating System
Basic Functioning (Recap)
1. The senses collect data from external sources. Giving rise to thoughts expressed as beliefs, ideas, assumptions, opinions, memories, etc. These thoughts are then stored by our internal operating system.
2. The internal operating system enables us to interact with our surroundings by retrieving the data it has previously stored in memory.
3. The nature of the conditions and the surroundings provides a context for accessing our thoughts and these thoughts in turn become the impetus for further action.
Q: Ok, so how is everyone feeling about this introduction to our internal operating system? Is it making some sense?
S: If you're not feeling totally comfortable at this point don't worry. Any new information takes time to become part of our internal operating system. Until that happens it's natural to experience some feelings of hesitation or doubt. What I'm showing you here reflects a change. It’s information that perhaps you've not been exposed to before now. We can use this experience to see the crux of the problem with all change.
Q: For example, if you're feeling some hesitation or doubt right now, what thoughts are underlying your feelings? Why do you think you feel the way you do?
A: The chances are you don't have enough experience with this material to accept it, yet. It's simply a matter of needing more time and your own experiences to find validation for the concepts.
S: The reason we don't change easily is because even to add new information to our internal operating system takes time. I use the exercises as one way for you to apply your own awareness to the concepts. This gives you a chance to see if what I'm saying is true for you, rather than just taking my word for it. But it's still a learning process… and that's our next topic of discussion.
Note to reader: Thanks for reading! Next time (Everything Changes No. 10) we'll draw a connection between the experience of change and learning, and why learning can sometimes be an impediment to change. If you have questions or comments I'd love to hear them!
Copyright 2008. The information here is reproduced from Everything Changes! Understanding and Dealing with the Change in our Lives. It is provided for your personal use. The material may not be reproduced, copied or used in any other way without written permission from the author, Dan Richardson.
Access: Public
