3 Ways to Take Charge of Your Brain and Be Ready for The Rest of 2021
As we try to move on from a year fraught with illness, trauma, protests, and uncertainty, it’s important to remember that life changes in phenomenal ways when we decide to take control over what we can instead of focusing on things beyond our power.
In a continuing effort to move forward from trauma in 2021, let’s start by taking charge of something that can change our lives … OUR BRAINS.
I want to explore 3 ways you can take charge of your brain, reshape the evolution of your brain, and closeout 2021 under your terms.
1. Change Your Thinking
Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Globally, we’re in a current state of paralysis due to the pandemic, isolation from loved ones, and the financial insecurity crippling our personal and global economies. The thoughts that occupy your day, matter more today than they ever have. Research shows that you have between 12,000 – 60,000 thoughts every day. Ninety to 95% of those ideas and opinions are the exact same thoughts that you had yesterday. On average, 60-70% of them are negative.
Your thoughts govern your actions. When you think differently about life circumstances, it opens you up to life’s possibilities. It allows you to find creative solutions and adapt to unfamiliar challenges.
New ways of thinking change your perspective on life and induce neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity forms the creation of new neurons and new connections. New connections keep your brain healthy and minimize the risks of neurological degeneration.
2. Exercise Daily
The brains of modern humans are very different from the brains of our early ancestors. Over the millennia our brains have gotten bigger and more complicated. The number of neurons and connections between them has increased in a process called encephalization.
Research shows that the brain evolved this way because early humans needed to run long distances. Moving their bodies in order to escape from predators and chase prey caused the brain to grow. As the brain grew, the number of cells expanded to the numbers we now have today (over 100 billion).
Regular exercise gives your brain everything it needs to make new neurons and new connections. Exercise promotes the brain’s ability to adapt, learn, and heal. It’s the best stress reliever, anti-depressant, and anti-anxiety treatment available.
Exercise is also a necessary prescription for the prevention of disease and supports faster recovery from illness.
3. Focus on the Life You want to Create
Our brains need us to lead them especially since there are millions of things competing for our attention every day. When something becomes the center of your interest, that’s where your life will follow.
A group of neurons in your brainstem, called the reticular activating system, focuses your awareness on what’s important to you. It also increases the likelihood that your thoughts will come to pass.
Whether it’s to overcome challenges or get ready for a new beginning, it’s your ability to take control of our brains that ultimately determines your level of success.
Come take charge of your brain with your personal brain expert!
This article originally appeared in the New Year 2021 Issue of eg Magazine.