As we all know, our Brain is the Chief executive officer ‘CEO’ of our body. It is the most complex thing we have yet discovered in our universe.
These days, we often hear that it’s possible to ‘rewire our brain’ to attain happiness, peace, success, etc. But what does “rewiring our brain” actually mean? And how can it be done?
The old-school concept was that the brain becomes rigid and static during the adult stage, with no new brain cells (neurons) being generated. That’s why there was a myth that it would be difficult for us to learn new things and acquire new skills during the later stages of our lives. Conventional knowledge mistakenly led us to believe that.
Only in the last 30 years or so has research revealed demonstrable proof that the adult brain is not only capable of changing, but it does so continuously throughout life, in response to everything we do and every experience we have. This amazing feature is known as NEUROPLASTICITY, which is the inherent ability of the brain to change and reorganise itself in response to learning and experience.
This can only mean one thing: no one is going to be too old to learn new tricks or develop new habits because newly generated brain cells (neurons) will always be there to make it happen.
BENEFITS OF NEUROPLASTICITY ;
There are many benefits of brain neuroplasticity in allowing our brain to adapt and change, this helps promote:
- The ability to learn new things, e.g. ; new habits
- The ability to enhance our existing cognitive capabilities, such as intelligence, memory, logical reasoning etc.
- Recovery from strokes and traumatic brain injuries.
- Strengthening other brain areas, if a particular brain area is damaged by disease or trauma.
- Makes our brain adapt to changes we may come across in life.
- Protects against degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
- With neuroplasticity, we can recondition our brain and reorganize our thoughts to make the changes we want to see in our lives.
Neuroplasticity has opened vast avenues of opportunities to reshape our brains and re-invent ourselves.
HOW TO IMPROVE NEUROPLASTICITY ?
- Gaining New Experiences….Traveling and exploring new places, taking new routes, Learning new things eg. Learning a new language, learn to play an instrument etc. These serve as the stimulus in making new neural connections
- Stress reduction… Is very important because stress is the enemy of neuroplasticity.
- Focus… Without focused concentration, brain connections are not made, and memory is not stored. Hats why, to create longer-lasting memories, we should pay complete attention to what we are doing in the present moment.
- Engaging in creative activities
- Getting adequate sleep, proper diet and regular exercise also support brain growth and health.
- Discard or Minimize Dependence on Modern Gadgets such as calculators, translation software, spell-check and auto-correct applications.
- Engage in some Brain training Exercises.. Many bran training exercises and brain games are available online. are available online. Jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, chess and other problem-solving and memory games are useful Meditation is best.
- Networking with other people…this gives us the opportunity to see things in a new perspective as well as absorb new information in a unique and meaningful ways.
- Always having a positive outlook…this will not only dramatically relieve stress and anxiety but will also speed up the creation of new brain cells.
Our brain has a “use it or lose it” function– if we do an action everyday at regular intervals and without fail, then our brain would eventually have to use its resiliency and adjust its configuration to make that task easier for us….. It affords us the privilege to learn from experiences in our environment, so that we may change our actions to produce much more desirable outcomes..
Our brain is the center of numerous possibilities, just like a cross roads leads to multiple pathways. So, it depends on us to choose the right path, to change our lives. It’s not where we’ve been, it’s where we choose to go next, and that counts.
- If we are not born with a talent, then we can even train our brain by constantly practicing to acquire that talent.
- It has been proven that human intelligence is not fixed or static – it can be increased.
- Even the personality traits we have exhibited since childhood can be changed.
- If we are living a lifestyle that makes us feel dull, then we still have the chance to abandon bad habits and engage in activities that would help us improve our lives.
Neuroplasticity is nothing but making all these happen.
The potential it is offering us to improve the quality of our lives is seemingly limitless bounded only by our own mindset, full focus, repeated practice and our willingness to take up the challenge of improving our quality of life.
This means–we can re-invent our brains through the choices we make on how we want to respond to the things we interact with.