Have you ever heard of Neuroplasticity? I stumbled across this term a couple of years ago – it has to do with the ability to change neural pathways in the brain due to various types of change – from physical injuries to behavioral and environmental changes.
Neuroscientists until fairly recently believed that the brain was pretty much unchangeable once people reach adulthood. It was even thought that there were such things as fix-points for various emotions – like happiness – that even after a major life upheaval (good or bad) a person would return to without much change.
But more recent findings show that isn’t true.
Brains turn out to be pretty amazing organs. They are constantly reorganizing themselves and can even transfer cognitive abilities from one lobe to another. You may have seen that in motion after someone has a stroke – sometimes functions can be moved to areas of the brain that are undamaged.
You can also witness this in a person that loses the ability to use certain senses – perhaps an accident makes them lose their hearing. But the brain will compensate for that by heightening other senses to help keep you safe.
So the brain is able to change itself and will do so in an effort to help you. But you can also do things deliberately to help your brain remain resilient.
Physical exercise will increase blood flow and help your brain to make new neurons.
You can also help keep the plasticity of your brain by challenging it to learn new things. When my Dad was in his early 80’s, he decided he wanted to learn how to play the piano. It was something he had always been interested in, but never had time to pursue.
So that is what he did – I was so proud of him! He didn’t learn it very fast, younger brains seem to have the ability to soak up new knowledge more quickly, but he has gotten pretty good at it!
But here is another way you can change your brain and its neural pathways – BRAINS CAN CHANGE FROM WHAT YOU THINK! Here is an excerpt from Time:
AS SCIENTISTS PROBE the limits of neuroplasticity, they are finding that mind sculpting can occur even without input from the outside world. The brain can change as a result of the thoughts we think, as with Pascual-Leone’s virtual piano players. This has important implications for health: something as seemingly insubstantial as a thought can affect the very stuff of the brain, altering neuronal connections in a way that can treat mental illness or, perhaps, lead to a greater capacity for empathy and compassion. It may even dial up the supposedly immovable happiness set point.
So here’s a simple plan to make your brain the best it can be:
1. Get some regular exercise – move around more. Park farther away from your destination. Get up and walk around when you are on the phone.
2. Stretch your brain by doing puzzles. Drive to work a different way. Learn something new. All of these things help you to develop your brain.
3. Think positive thoughts as much as you can. Try Mindfulness Meditation as a way to stay present and reduce rumination and worry.
Rinse and repeat!
