Neuroplasticity

Hashmaps are widely used in computer programming to store key-value pairs efficiently.

Our brains function in a similar way, where the keys are our past experiences, and the values are the emotions or reactions tied to them. Whenever we experience something new, our brain encodes it as a key and assigns it a value based on how we felt in that moment.

Take my first experience with rock climbing as an example. It was filled with fear and embarrassment so my brain stored a negative value for the "rock climbing" key. For years, the thought of climbing automatically retrieved that value, triggering stress and resistance.

Neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to adapt, allows us to rewrite these values. By creating new, positive experiences with the same keys, we can reprogram our responses. After a few amazing climbing sessions years later,  my initial fear was replaced with confidence and excitement.

Debugging and reducing the negative values in your brain’s hashmap can help you live more freely. Here’s how to do it:

1. Identify the keys: pinpoint experiences that consistently evoke strong emotions.
2. Examine the values: reflect on the feelings tied to these experiences. Are they still accurate or helpful?
3. Override the values: introduce new, positive experiences to replace outdated or negative values. Start small and proactively, and build gradually.

Happy programming your mental hashmap!