31 January 2018 - Brain Training

New Year, new you. How many times have you heard that? You've done the diets, hit the gym and promised other resolutions. A few weeks later you're back on the cake, firmly sat on the sofa and inhaling box sets. 

But maybe its time to be the better person and make some changes to your being that could end up with you having a positive career boost. Focus on your brain and train it to be stronger. Be in control of your consciousness and the changes you choose to make. The science of Neuroplasticity suggests that just making small tweaks in our day to day life could have long lasting positive effects. Its also about accepting that some traditional statements really are myths. 

Let me give an example; they say that women are good at multi-tasking. Its just not true but the alternative of task switching is a skill that can be enhanced. Task switching is only truly affective when you have the ability to complete small tasks at a time and as soon as they are completed you move onto the next one. The good old to-do list can keep you focused on the items of importance to complete. A sense of accomplishment is rather gratifying at the end of the day. Task switching also shows brain agility, the ability to move from one topic to another quickly but you must allow the brain to make a clean switch. If it means stepping away from your environment for a moment to clear your head then do so. 

There's also the consideration of Mastery of your Mindset. As children we are brought up in the shadow of our care givers and their thoughts and beliefs are pressed upon us. As adults we should reflect on these ingrained biases and challenge our norms. If we don't take this time to look internally then how can we allow new influences to continue to form us? How will we ever get to change the overall human condition and influence our world to be more considerate towards aspects like true equality without it?

Then there is our emotional intelligence. As females we use our brains differently and we can approach a task in an alternative way to our male counterparts. Females can often use a more creative angle, as well as our emotions. Our differences should be embraced. But maybe we should tailor the level of emotion that we are outputting to ensure our message is understood correctly by our audience. 

Train your emotional intelligence so you can be the stronger person. Identify your stress triggers and your coping strategies in order to build your resilience. Mindfulness can help to play a part here by adopting a balanced routine, reducing complex choices from your environment and removing, if possible, negative influences.  

And then there is that voice in your head. Some call it the chimp, others the crazy lady. Its a continuation of the stress triggers and using your resilience to keep that part of your brain calm and instead, bring forward the adult version of yourself. The person who can tackle anything; while the big picture might be terrifying, it can be achieved by completing one small task at a time. 

Create a mantra, your own personal strapline, to keep the negative thoughts at bay and help promote a positive outlook. Help keep your brain focused on the task so you can continue achieving successfully. I think that's better goal than buying into a gym membership you'll never use.