We see and hear a lot of health promotion about our heart, lungs, and health of our skin, but seldom a word is shared about the most important organ of all, our brain. This is despite it being the epicentre of everything we do, see, taste,smell, hear, touch, speak, and believe in. Our body, mind, and spirit are all affected by it. Feed and develop it, it will flourish, starve it and it dies!. We have the most powerful tool in the world sitting between our ears, and I think that's reason enough to pay attention to it. Words like Neuroplasticity are starting to pop up in mainstream, which for a brain geek like me makes it a rather exciting time, one which I feel I've been waiting for all my life. So what is neuroplasticity? Well it's something we are already doing – It happens with our without our conscious awareness to it . Neuroplasticity is simply when we repeat thoughts or perform certain behaviours over and over again. It refers to the ability of the brain to generate and integrate new brain cells, and remodel pre-existing circuits. What this means for our mental health and any sort of rehabiliitation, is hugely significant, as it means that we have more control over our thoughts and the circuitry in our brains than we were previously lead to believe. No longer are we bound by the belief that our thoughts/actions and abilities are set in concrete, unless of course we have suffered from significant brain damage, but even then there is still the opportunity for new growth thanks to brain plasticity. I have to add here that NZ is one of the leaders in this field thanks to people like our own Professor Faull. It's because of all the information I have sought and experienced over many years with my own mental and physical health, that I have a expectation that we all have the potential to change and develop within the contexts of our lives, willingness dependent of course. Im always gob smacked to meet those who cry out that they are not happy but yet are not prepared to do something different? Really??? How can there be results with such a contradiction. Congruency of thinking/feeling/ and doing is paramount to our mental health. All mental activity—sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings are based on the brain's neural activity. Your mind and mental states become your brain and your mind which becomes your identity. Every day we are creating ourselves into the sort of people that in a way we are choosing to be. Ok granted, where it becomes more complicated is when we are easily manipulated or affected by others. Advertisers and journalists are a good example here, as they know how we 'tick' often more than some people know themselves!. They know that to push some emotive 'buttons' will get the desired response they need from us. But ultimately whose responsibility are our thoughts and responses? Ours? Or theirs? Ok sure as children we have very little, if any choice, but as adults we have the chance to create rather than react to our surroundings and those in it. Imagine the transformation if we took more of an interest in what matters in life, RIGHT NOW, and less about what is or what went wrong. Investing in our personal development not only increases our own levels of awareness, but it can reduce our fear of what we are uncertain about when we get to know ourselves better. Or in other words we increase our confidence. Rather than taking ownership of our own thoughts and behaviours, too many people would rather blame others for how they are feeling (and that's not to say that some people don't deserve it as a lot do!) but to keep blaming will only result in ourselves to B – LAME or victims, when really we have so much more ability to respond in more effective ways. We are never powerless when it comes to our own thinking – We ARE products of our own thinking and we can use those thoughts to work FOR us or AGAINST us. When our brain cells fire together, they wire together so get to know what's happening up there and what's wired in.
Habits are an excellent example of the power of neuroplasticity and some habitual thoughts are so powerfully ingrained that we perform the habit even when we are desperate not to!. However if we practise and are committed to repeating a new behaviour or thought, we can develop new positive habits. If we are good at creating the bad habits then we can be equally as good at creating good habits. The brain is constantly changing it's structure for better or worse, why wouldn't we want to learn how to manage our thoughts better?
Carla is a life coach and hypnotherapist in Whanganui
www.carlascoachingforhealth.com
Habits are an excellent example of the power of neuroplasticity and some habitual thoughts are so powerfully ingrained that we perform the habit even when we are desperate not to!. However if we practise and are committed to repeating a new behaviour or thought, we can develop new positive habits. If we are good at creating the bad habits then we can be equally as good at creating good habits. The brain is constantly changing it's structure for better or worse, why wouldn't we want to learn how to manage our thoughts better?
Carla is a life coach and hypnotherapist in Whanganui
www.carlascoachingforhealth.com
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