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Mental health
People often reach a point in life where
mental health becomes a concern.
They worry about dementia and seek to stave off
deterioration.
This is a reasonable and healthy attitude.
However, many of the solutions/methods employed are unsound.
Unreliable memories?
Scientific studies have proven that human memory is far from reliable.
Even events that we imbue with great significance are always remembered
partially.
Plus, we change.
How we see the world alters as we grow, experience,
reflect and re-evaluate. Could the viewpoint of a child conceivably be compared to that of an adult?
Are your childhood memories remotely accurate?
Technology
Imagine that your
brain is a very sophisticated piece of
technology...
It manages your whole body, it controls every function.
You need to look after your brain.
This means eating the right food, resting, recovering,
flexing the brain and employing it in a healthy manner.
News is a waste of time. An
average human being squanders half a day each week on reading about current
affairs.
(Rolf Dobelli)
Brain food
For brain health start with water, oxygen and
nutrients.
Drink around 2 litres of water every day, get plenty of fresh air and ensure
that you consume healthy food.
Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine will not nourish your brain.
Over-working
If your mind is continually anxious, worried, stressed... it is not at
rest.
It is permanently being taxed in an adverse way.
This is not good.
Education
School crams our minds with facts and
figures, dates and numbers.
We are trained to remember, to recite, to recall.
This is fine to a degree but there is far more to the
brain than memory.
Observation, sensitivity,
awareness, critical thinking, abstract thinking,
not thinking and thinking-for-yourself are not unduly
encouraged at school.
Metacognition
School, college and university represent only
one avenue of brain work.
There are many others. If we go back to the idea of the brain being technology - how well can you
use your brain?
Is it fast?
Slow?
Can you figure things out for yourself?
Do you pick up new skills quickly?
Are you a good listener?
What is your attention span like?
How well do you concentrate?
Your body can be seen as technology too... again - how well can you use your
body?
Work
Many people have jobs that offer very little in terms of brain work.
After an initial period of adjustment, the needs of the job can be undertaken
without undue brain power.
The brain operates on self-conscious autopilot.
It is bored and not in any way being challenged to grow and change.
Media
TV, the internet, news reports, magazines, newspapers and gossip
all serve to provide us with a stream of
information.
We are given ideas, opinions,
concerns, preferences, viewpoints, worries,
anxieties...
Other people tell us what to believe and why.
Our consciousness is trained, shaped and
moulded by the mass media.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most
intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
(Charles Darwin)
Change
If you want to make your brain healthy, do something
different.
Avoid stagnation.
Find new ways to think, to use your brain.
Exercise
The brain can and should be exercised every
day.
This does not mean crossword puzzles, sudoku, playing video games, surfing
the web or reading pulp fiction.
None of these will improve your mental powers.
Instead, you need a far more challenging and
significant commitment.
Hobbies
Having a hobby can be very good for your brain.
A hobby typically requires the person to
learn new skills, cultivate different insights, refine and
develop their craft.
Research, discovery and sustained enthusiasm over a long period of
time are all good qualities for brain health.
Common methods
Running, going to the gym and other common
exercise methods will do a little towards mental health, but not an awful lot.
They may improve focus, stamina and endurance.
However, these often take place at the expense of diminished
physical awareness, poor
sensitivity and bad poise.
Mental component
Sport-based exercise methods, Pilates, yoga and most
martial arts simply do not contain a
challenging mental component. Tai chi does.
And the more in-depth your training, the
greater the demands on your brain.
Meditation
Meditation teaches the individual to bring the
mind back to the here and now.
To slow down, to see what is right
in front of us.
This takes patience and training to accomplish but is well worth the effort.
Qigong and tai chi both
encourage meditation.
Emotions
Emotions serve to direct us towards
things we desire or to avoid adversity.
Unfortunately, strong emotions are only meant to be experienced in short
bursts.
Sustained anger, worry, upset can lead
to serious medical problems and will
re-shape how you see the world around you.
Expand your consciousness
There are volumes of books written about life,
existence,
perception and how best to use the brain.
Seek these out.
We have provided a reading list on
this website to get you started...
If you don't want to buy a book, why not read our
website and then look for other sources of insight?
Learn a new skill
Learning a new skill quite literally encourages the brain to
change.
To grow.
Be patient, take it easy,
avoid forcing but stick with it.
Anyone can change.
Learn a new language
If you want to truly help your brain,
then try learning something multi-layered
and complex.
Tai chi, playing a musical
instrument or gaining fluency in a new language will all be
challenging.
The history,
principles and
applications within
tai chi represent the study of a
lifetime.
Don't let people infantilise you
Avoid letting people do things for you that you are perfectly capable of
doing for yourself.
You do not need to be served. Think for yourself.
Do things for yourself.
Invest in your future
You will be tempted to quit.
This is understandable.
Laziness is all about staying put and not changing.
But remember: settling into a rut is the fast track to mental
deterioration.
Page created
8 May 1998
Last updated
04 May 2023
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