Monday, January 15, 2018

Training Your Brain





How are you? Hope this finds you all doing well and settling in to 2018. What does a new year bring to you? A fresh start? Time to reflect, adjust, move forward? Yeah, me too. :) 

One theme that's been constant for me in 2017 and now this year, has been my thought life. What thoughts do I allow to dominate my days? Which ones are good, fruitful, and healthy? Which are of no value, unproductive, and even destructive?

I've long known that our thoughts can be a guiding force, forming patterns and contributing to our worldview in nearly every area of our lives. Our self talk - what we speak to ourselves, and thoughts we allow to roll around in our mind can often mean the difference between failure and success in even the smallest things.

Harmful thoughts - those we allow to reside in our heads, can be death to a healthy spiritual life, relationships, and life and success in general. Think about it, what kinds of thoughts generally trail through your mind? Negative? Positive? Or both, depending on the topic? Can they contribute to an overall mindset about your traits, relationships, situations, and worldview? We have been, and daily continue to train our minds based on the thoughts we allow and perpetuate. While knowing this is helpful, it doesn't always translate into better awareness or change.

Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf, a book I read last year, offered great insight in this area. Dr. Leaf, a communication pathologist and audiologist, has worked in cognitive neuroscience for over 30 years. In a nutshell, her book explains the connection between our thoughts and physical bodies, and how altering harmful thought patterns yields healthy changes, mentally, physically, and spiritually. 

Dr. Leaf said, "When you think, you build thoughts, and these become physical substances in your brain." The best part is that negative, unhealthy thought patterns can be changed and yield positive results. Her extensive research illustrates the brain's function and capacity, from individuals in everyday circumstances to those with learning challenges and brain injuries. What I found most intriguing was how these scientific finds support Biblical principles of how our lives reflect our thoughts and mindset. What wonderful creations we are! Our God-given capacity to think and live is just amazing.

I was impressed and encouraged by her findings, and would highly recommend her book if this topic interests you. She does get a bit technical, so when I felt in over my head (no pun intended) I read the summaries at the end of each chapter to help process the info.

So how does this relate to writing and other creative pursuits? Our thoughts are key to peace, healthy function, and success. We can begin the year with a positive outlook, training our brains to do what they were created to do, flourishing with productive thoughts that translate into healthy living in all areas.

Although it is an intriguing book, it isn't necessary to read Dr. Leaf's book to begin. We often follow where our thoughts go, so we can start by tuning in to what's going on in our heads. Here are a few things I like to do to help with this process:
 
1) Actively replace negative thoughts with positive ones. My bottom line is this - I'm a child of God and a writer. No matter what's going on or how I feel, this is what God has called me to do. When I find myself being swallowed by the negative, I make an effort to replace lousy thoughts and regroup mentally. One question Dr. Leaf tells us to consider, "What thoughts do we want to become part of us?" (My paraphrase.)

2) Hang out with positive influences. In the writing arena, this includes all of you. Your support is a great treasure. You've been such an encouragement to me. This also includes other friends, like fellow church and other group members, etc. We cannot always avoid negative people, but we can be aware of this and set good boundaries.

3) Stay grounded by tapping into your faith. For me, this is being attentive to God's word and meditating on His principles. Our perspective is always better when focused on the right things.

4) Find good resources. From books like Dr. Leaf's to blogs, continued education, writer's  groups, etc. we can glean good things from seasoned creatives, teachers, preachers, and so on.
 
5) Heed sage advice. When my kids were young they watched a cowboy preacher by the name of Gospel Bill. GB told his young audience, "Garbage in, garbage out," Sowing negative things into our heads and lives causes us to reap the same. Sowing the positive and valuable reaps great long term benefits. Love this simple reminder.

Have you ever considered the impact your thoughts have on your writing and life? What steps do you take to stay positive and productive?

Happy writing,

 Karen






Image credit - Pixabay

18 comments :

  1. Easy to get trapped into negative thinking. But we are God's beautiful creations and that is only positive.

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  2. Karen, these positive pointers are food for the soul, great reminders, and a good way to start off the year. Happy New Year to you.

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  3. That book sounds interesting, though I'm not sure that I'll have time to read it. Love how you shared your tips for being positive. So important to being content and happy in life.

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  4. Alex,
    This is so true. A friend once told me years ago to be "thinking about what I was thinking about." Never thought about it much prior to that.

    Linda,
    I'm glad you liked them. I agree, it's a wonderful way to begin the new year. Happy new year to you too! :)

    Natalie,
    No pressure at all to read the book. I just found it interesting, and it tops my list of best books for last year. :) It's important to have a good outlook, I agree!

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  5. Such a great post, Karen. All that you've written is spot on. When I greet my day with, "Yes," I can feel a physical difference as well as a mental one. During the day, people respond to me positively, and I know it's because I'm putting positive vibes out there.

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  6. Hi, Karen! Glad to see you back blogging in the New Year!
    Fortunately for me, I'm an optimistic and positive person by nature. I find it quite easy to replace any negative thoughts lurking in my mind with positive, uplifting ones. Your advice here, though, is spot on. And I love the simple "garbage in, garbage out" reminder. Simple and concise and oh, so true!
    Blessings!

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  7. Lee,
    Thanks, I'm glad it resonated with you. I like that, starting the day with "Yes". What a good policy! :)

    Martha,
    Thank you; it's good to be back. :) Glad you're an optimistic person, that does make it easier, for sure.

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  8. That reminds me of the book by Dr. Shad Helmstetter - What to Say When You Talk to Yourself. It's all about reprogramming the pathways in your brain, laying a foundation of positive rather than negative.

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  9. Love the focus here, Karen. Much to consider. Wishing you a positive, productive, profitable 2018

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  10. Diane,
    I need to check out that book. Good self talk is so important to help keep us going. :)

    Jen,
    Thank you. Appreciate you weighing in for the new year. Wishing you much success as well! :)

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  11. Hi Karen - great thoughts here - I'm fortunate that I seem to work in the positive mode - and tend to think of others first, while making sure I don't forget myself. But it makes life so much easier to deal with and cope with other things ... cheers Hilary

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  12. Welcome back! Here's to a year of being positive!

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  13. Hilary,
    Thanks so much. Yes, I can see that you are a positive sort of person, and you absolutely put others first! I think that's a wonderful way to be, and I admire your consistency with it. :)

    Holly,
    Thanks so much! I agree, let's be positive this year, for sure. It's a great way to begin 2018! :)

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  14. Karen: I had to learn to be positive. My husband recently called me an optimist. I merely pointed out that something was "half-full." When I start my day by reciting Psalm 118:24, my day is a lot brighter.

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  15. Thanks so much for the title of this book, Karen, and the tips about our thought lives. I'm making a note of the book and hope to read it. All you say is so true. I think this time of year when it's cold and we're more closed up in our homes, we struggle more (and having the flu for over a week doesn't help!)--but today the sun is shining and we are encouraged. Being mindful of our many, many blessings is one of the first steps to helping our thought lives. Welcome back! And many good wishes for the new year...

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  16. Cecelia,
    I think many of us have to work at it sometimes, even if we lean more toward being an optimist. Glad you've found helpful ways to start your day! :)

    Kenda,
    You are welcome. You'll have to let me know what you think. The sun is shining here today too, and it's in the low 30's. Feels positively balmy compared to our temps of late. Hope you're feeling like yourself again soon.
    :)

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  17. Thank you so much for this post, Karen! I have been blessed by Dr. Caroline Leaf's books and praise God for her ministry. Taking our thoughts captive is a topic near and dear to my heart. Over the years, I've learned that the thoughts I allow to enter my mind affect my life either positively or negatively. Jesus commands us in 2 Corinthians 10: 5 to cast down every thought that exalts itself against God and to take that thought captive in obedience to Christ. I do my best to monitor my thoughts continually.

    I have a friend who, one day, noticed her three-year-old son staring out the window. She asked him what he was thinking about. He replied, "I'm thinking about what I'm thinking about." Out of the mouths of babes! That little guy was far wiser than most of us adults.

    It so happens I have recorded a video on how to take our thoughts captive. If you are interested, Karen, you may view it at this link: https://youtu.be/bbu3CDsGBdE

    Many blessings to you!

    MaryAnn

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  18. MaryAnn,
    You are welcome! :) Yes, her ministry is helpful and interesting. I'm a work in progress concerning my thoughts, so much better than before, and making strides every day. Thanks for the link. Will check it out! :) I'm speaking on this topic soon, so I appreciate your insight.

    Blessings,
    Karen

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a blessed day!