Brain Train
Mind Control: The brain is a complex organ that controls thoughts, memories, emotions, motor skills, senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch), breathing, temperature, hunger & every other process in our bodies. So, if the brain is controlling everything, what is controlling your brain. Do we let our brain run on automatic or do we we take an active role in improving & optimizing our brains? Food, physical activities, relaxation practices, relationships, spiritual connections & psychological mindsets influence how & what we think. Start by listening to your automatic thoughts (mind-chatter) & write these thoughts down. Then, dive deep into learning about the thoughts which cause you stress or get in the way of reaching your goals.
Motivating Motivation: Don’t let your feelings & emotions hold you back or bring you down. You don’t have to be totally motivated to start something. You just start have to start. The act of ‘doing’ helps shift our thinking into the activity itself. When we don’t take action, then, procrastination becomes our activity. So, if you have a desire or a goal, make the practice of ‘doing’ be the focus and not the outcome. Self-motivation does not come from the feeling of wanting to do ‘something’; it comes from the consistency of doing that ‘something’.
Think, Feel, Do, Become: Our thoughts control our feelings. Our feelings control our behaviors. Our behaviors are the practices of who we have become. By learning better ways of thinking, you will discover better ways to ‘feel’ and better ways to ‘do’. As a result, you will become a better version of yourself. Write a list of your most common positive & negative thoughts & compare them to the list of the person that you want to be.
Small Steps in Your Head: If something is too hard to do, then, we are doing too much, too fast. And, doing too much, too fast, makes it hard to reach our goals. Start with small steps, keep it simple, learn more and then, do more. If you want to eat better, add a fruit or vegetable to a meal; if you want to learn an instrument, learn a scale; if you want to get stronger, do one resistance exercise. Take the same small step every day until you are ready to take the next small step.
Multitasking Warning: Do not multitask when errors can be fatal. Do not multitask when setbacks stop you from achieving your goal. To improve your mind, you need to give it an optimal learning environment. Optimal learning environments include the following elements: dedicated time, reading, social support, focus & honest feedback. When you are having trouble achieving a goal, respect the needs of your brain by removing multitasking and create an optimal learning environment with these elements.
Brain Basics: Sometime the most basic things can be the biggest challenge. Use this ‘Brain Basics’ checklist to optimize your brain function. 1) Eat whole foods & mostly plants; 2) Engage in physical exercise/movement; 3) Don’t smoke/vape; 4) Eliminate or minimize alcohol/substance use; 5) Practice cognition (e.g., read, write, play games, create music/art); 6) Build a social network of like-minded people; 7) Relaxation practice. Overriding habits that don’t contribute to these brain basics may be a challenge for some of us. Find a support group to help you with those habits that challenge you the most. Following these brain basics will train your brain to heal, which in turn, will train the body to heal, too.