Your brain is like a border collie
OR... what I learned about human brains, from behind the scenes working on 'Babe'
Border collie pups love to learn, and love to try new things.
They’re curious and whip-smart, and when they're doing something they love their focus is laser sharp.
But let them get bored or get out of hand, and they’ll chew your slippers and pee on the rug.
Brains are similar.
Love to learn, curious as fuck, super smart, and capable of laser focus.
And when they get out of hand, they can be just as destructive (though it’s less slipper-chewing, and more self-criticising or procrastinating).
And both brains and border collie pups learn strange patterns if they experience trauma.
Back in the day, I was one of the puppeteers on the movie Babe.
During filming, I got to watch the border collies who played main characters Fly and Rex.
And I got to watch working dogs do their thing with flocks of sheep for scenes in the movie.
The same things that keep a working dog functioning at its best AND having a good time, are also good for our brains.
First of all, both need the basics - adequate rest, good nutrition and hydration, plenty of affection.
Both love plenty of variety to keep things interesting. Both function waaaaaay better when daily life feels like mostly play.
And the owner/operator/trainer needs to take responsibility for having a kind and loving relationship.
You have to know who’s in charge AND that has to be done with kindness.
One of the dogs starring in Babe was called Ace, and at the start of the shoot, every so often, completely out of the blue, he’d flinch as though invisible aliens were circling his head.
With the cameras rolling and a huge film crew standing around (costing tens of thousands per minute), there was huge pressure on him and his trainer, to get focused on the job in hand.
His flinching response was most likely related to the trauma of his life.
He’d been ‘discovered’ working as a stud dog in one of those terrible puppy farms, and hadn’t really been outside before.
Even after six months of training and socialising, and truly LOVING his job (you can tell when a dog is having a good time!) - a film set full of people and strange equipment was sometimes just too much.
But his trainer never got mad with him, and she never made a fuss about his weird Space Ace moments.
She would demonstrate her OWN calm, bring his attention back to the here and now, and then give him something simple and familiar to do. That helped him regain his confidence and forget the scary thing he’d seen, so he could get back to his job, which he clearly loved doing.
It’s the same with your brain.
In those moments when you lose your positivity, get distracted by something scary that nobody else can see - your thoughts about money or relationship or your health or politics - you can follow the same path.
Don’t get mad with your brain. It might be as simple as a trauma response, and we all have those from time to time.
And don’t buy into the drama in your head about time pressure or missing goals. Pffft.
Be the owner/operator of your brain. Channel your inner kind border collie trainer. And step in, to work with your brain from a place of kindness and calm.
Take a deep breath, and focus on your senses and your body - that brings your brain’s attention back to the here and now.
Look around and focus on one stable and beautiful thing, like a cushion on a chair or the blue of the sky
Or listen to the sounds around you and pick one to focus on
Or sniff the air and discover something that you can smell right now
Or all three!
Then, lean into something simple that you know how to do.
Brew tea, or make your bed, or prep veggies for dinner, or take a shower, or do a simple admin task you find kinda boring because it’s so easy.
As an optional extra, remind your brain that you are safe by reciting some easy thoughts such as ‘all is well’ and ‘I trust myself’ and ‘right here, right now, I am safe’.
And then, dive back into the thing you were doing before your brain went all Space Ace.
What happens when you practice
Human brains are incredibly changeable and easy to rewire.
Over the five months of that film shoot, Space Ace became simply Ace.
He calmed down, as he learned to trust.
He still occasionally saw invisible aliens, but it took him far less time to bring his focus back to the job at hand.
He clearly relished the work he was doing - to him, it was all fun and play.
The film crew and strange equipment were merely part of the scenery, no big deal.
Training your brain on how to recover from those Space Ace moments does some really useful things.
It helps you feel better in the moment when you encounter those weird invisible aliens (thoughts and trauma responses).
It gives you resilience you can lean into, next time the invisible aliens are circling just above your head.
And over time, it can lead to far fewer Space Ace moments and a lot more fun and delight.
PS sometimes being the owner/operator of a human brain is like living with a dog that is a little stubborn, and that’s when you might need help. My first recommendation is always to start by activating KINDNESS TURNED INWARDS - and then, if you like, get in touch.