Our brain rewards learning and achievement of any kind by releasing dopamine – our pleasure chemical. However once we have consolidated the achievement our brain turns down the reward feeling to encourage us to grow & develop more. We have evolved to use our brains and bodies and the satisfaction of gaining new skills & becoming competent in whatever area we choose is potent. When we feel like we are making progress it has an impact on our wellbeing. What each of us considers to be an achievement is of course subjective. This need is crucial to fulfil -and any good therapy will focus on setting small achievable goals that a person can action as success breeds confidence and we all need to believe in our ability to do something competently, however small. Without this hope and meaning can feel out of reach. Do you feel competent in at least one area of your life? being a parent, holding down a job playing a sport, gardening or cooking? Do you feel respected for your skills? Do you feel a sense of achievement in your life? Do you feel satisfyingly challenged to stretch and grow or do you feel overwhelmed? Are you relying of past success to feel food about yourself rather then continuing to stretch yourself in a way that works in your life today?
