LIVING NATURALLY with Olwen Anderson

REMEMBER the cassette tape that could self-destruct? "Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” This iconic phrase came from the popular 1960s TV series Mission: Impossible, followed with several full-length movies of the same enticing formula: the hero of the story overcoming an apparently insurmountable problem. You knew his path to success would be peppered with obstacles before the inevitable triumph.

Curiously, science has found that challenging your brain for its own mission impossible actually helps maintain function as you age. Not just the crossword: real life challenges that stretch you. Because the growing happens when you start to feel emotionally 'yuk' about the project you're working on, frustrated and grumpy.

Here's an example of this curious conundrum: let's say you have set a health goal. Doesn't matter which - perhaps stop smoking, or exercise daily, or eat less sugar. Assume you're highly motivated to achieve your goal to become a non-smoker, buy clothes one size smaller, stave off the looming diabetes threat. You're going to feel good the first time you head out to exercise, decline the soft drink, turn down the invitation to join the smokers outside. But pretty soon you're going to start to experience 'goal conflict' and 'negative affect' as the scientists call it: your brain trying to convince you this goal wasn't such a hot idea after all. You'll feel like throwing in the towel.

You can see how easy it would be to give up at this point and if you do then your brain, which is hard-wired to pursue pleasure and avoid pain, will temporarily make you feel better, physically and emotionally. But it also means the next time you try to do it will be harder because your brain has learnt ways to make you stop trying. So giving up actually leaves you worse off than when you started the challenge.

If you can push past these emotional obstacles however, the pay-off is immense. Scientists have found the people who are continually challenging themselves are those whose brains maintain better function with age. As a bonus, they also found that these are the people more satisfied with their lives. Or, to put it another way, the more you challenge and manage yourself, the happier you are.

Maybe your own mission impossible is worth getting uncomfortable for. What sort of person will you become as a result of pursuing your challenge?

* Olwen Anderson is a naturopath and counsellor and a columnist with the Tweed Daily News. Contact her at www.olwenanderson.com.au