What is Your default setting?

As many of you know, we love to travel and we often find ourselves in situations where English isn’t the primary language spoken in places we travel.  I was telling some patients that I’m trying to get better at Spanish to not only communicate better in the office with patients, but because I’ve found myself in situations abroad where it would be beneficial.  However, I’m at a slight disadvantage because Spanish wouldn’t be the first language outside of English that I’ve learned.  In college, I had the opportunity to study in Germany, in doing so, I (was) became fluent in German. Although it’s been 20 years since I lived in Germany, anytime I find myself searching for words in Spanish, a German word comes out first. My family laughs so hard when this happens, as a matter of fact, it happens almost every time we travel.  Last time, I was asking for directions and I wanted to respond in Spanish, but German came out without hesitation. Have any of you had this happen? Maybe not with speaking German and Spanish, but I’m sure in some aspect of your life you’ve found yourself going back to a default setting in your brain.  I even know that I’m supposed to speak Spanish, but the pathways in my brain tap into my German because for so long that was the only thing I knew that wasn’t English.  So the only way for me to rewire my brain to turn to Spanish instead of German is to take consistent exposure to Spanish, I’m going to need to hear it, speak it, and eventually German will be tucked away that Spanish will become my default second language.  

This wiring of your brain is possible not only for language but for many other aspects in your life including your health habits.  I’m not just talking about making the right choices when it comes to food, or exercise, or your posture. But also your attitude and outlook on situations, how do you think when you are stressed.  The things you do on a daily basis will determine how your body and mind will respond without you having to think about it.  Have you ever had someone ask you why you do something a certain way? When you stopped to think about it, you didn’t have a great answer, the only thing you could come up with is “This is just how my family has always done it.” This is the time of the year where many families find themselves doing their typical traditions of going to the pumpkin patch, planning their family holidays which many will do the exact same thing as they have done for years before because that’s what they know!  I want to Thank each of you for starting to create a new setting for yourself and your friends. family.  Whether you know it or not, choosing Chiropractic for yourself and your family is starting to rewire how you think when you take care of your health.  Our vision is that we can have such a positive impact on families in our practice that their default setting is turning to natural means when something their health depends on it.  This might sound crazy, but this is exactly why we love having a family practice, because whether your family gets adjusted or not, they see what you are doing and they will at least stop and think about chiropractic as an option for their health and well being, and we hope that it is part of their default setting.

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