/Video/How I rewired my brain in six weeks

How I rewired my brain in six weeks

There is increasing evidence that simple, everyday changes in our lives can alter our brains and how they function. So how can we keep our brains healthy?

BBC journalist Melissa Hogenboom explores the latest scientific research and conducts a brain scan of her own to analyze the findings, with intriguing results.

Key Points:

  • Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself throughout life. Changes in the brain are based on the stimuli received. This is the basis of learning and memory, a highly dynamic process involving the entire brain. An interesting thing we have only recently discovered is that the brain can even change its structure.
  • Wandering minds can be beneficial in many ways, such as aiding creativity, but they can also lead to repetitive thoughts, negative ruminations, and anxiety, which can heighten stress. Stress hormones like cortisol will increase, and if cortisol levels remain high, it can become toxic to highly plastic regions of the brain. This indicates that stress, along with many other factors, is a direct inhibitor of neuroplasticity.

Managing Stress through Mindfulness for 6 Weeks

Here’s what I practiced over the course of six weeks:

  • I took time to learn how to be as present as possible and observe the impact this had on my brain. So, what does mindfulness do? It can reduce stress. You become aware of challenges, anxious reactions, and tendencies toward worry. We cannot eliminate the pain of any stressful situation, but there is a sense that we can choose what our next step will be.
  • The first step is to say “yes, let’s come back” from this complexity to something relatively simple and stay with it. So, find the point where your breath feels clearest to you, then track your breath as it moves in and out of your body. I felt calmer, but my mind still wandered. The idea is not to let your mind drift, but I found myself thinking things like “oh, I need to send that email, I need to do this,” and then I would return to my breath.
  • That’s an interesting observation. So first, when we do this, we approach it with the intention of focusing on the breath, maintaining attention on the breath, but the reality is that the mind will wander. This teaches us about how the mind works—and we just need to acknowledge it and return to the breath. In this way, we both exercise our attention muscles to keep focused on the breath while also developing flexibility in our attention, gaining a better understanding of how the mind operates.

How Did the Results Change After 6 Weeks?

  • I felt calmer. 
  • When we observed the brain in the MRI scan, we looked at the amygdala, a key part of emotional processing. We saw changes in this area, particularly in the right amygdala, which had decreased in size. This is considered a stress reduction effect, as it increases in size when we are stressed.

Content sourced from BBC News. Watch the full video HERE.

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