Cross-Train Your Brain!

So I've been reading this book titled "Cross-Train Your Brain" by Stephen Eiffert.

Find it on Amazon here.

 

It essentially tells us that we don't use our creative side of our brain enough.  By developing our creative right hemisphere to dominate our thinking, we can begin to feel in-tune with our entire brain. By example, if we were in a difficult situation that we feel powerless to, our normal response would be to get frustrated and angry.  If we utilized our creative side, we might realize that we are thinking too negatively, therefore limiting our happiness. We might create a new way of viewing the situation or a new response to it. We might instead attribute it to external factors beyond our control, rather than blaming ourselves.  By thinking creatively and positively, we can begin to develop a healthy thinking lifestyle.

Here's an exercise to stimulate your right brain creativity that I will do myself and share in my blog over the course of the next couple weeks.

1. First, begin by writing your name in the middle of a piece of paper. Then think about all the ways that you can describe yourself. Draw them branching out from your name.
1. My example would be something like this (daughter, student, athlete, amateur photographer, niece, granddaughter, friend, neighbor, etc)
2. Now pick one to write about. It doesn't matter what you write, whether it flows, or how grammatically correct you sound. Just write! Writing every day is a great way to stimulate your brain.

By doing this exercise you are really taking a look at how you see yourself as well as the meaning that you attribute to your various relationships in life. What can you do to change negative aspects of yourself? A great way to keep up with this is daily journal writing. I know it's hard because I've tried before and I can barely keep up for a week. If you don't have time to physically handwrite in a journal, then type up your own diary or blog on the computer. Putting your thoughts into words helps to organize them, you'll be surprised.

A technique that has worked for me many times when I'm angry about something, is to write down my feelings.  Sometimes, I will write down what I would like to say to the person I am angry with. Then when I walk away and come back to it, I am always surprised by what I had written and how it sounds.  When you are frustrated, do you ever find that you can't think clearly? It is due to our left brain taking over and dominating our thought process.  We are less inclined to give into our emotional side and babble nonsense responses when arguing like "Because I said so!!"

So I will update my first journal entry soon, I'll probably start with daughter, the easiest, yet probably most detailed way to categorize myself.

Find ways to think creatively and positively. It will do more for your brain health in the long run!

-Stephanie, WWT