Be kind to your mind

Este Meyer

12 June 2020

1. Understanding how the brain functions (how it affects the body’s functioning)

2. What does a healthy mind look like normally vs. during Covid-19

3. Your mind and productivity

4. Factors limiting our minds to function optimally

5. Re-wiring our minds to adapt to different circumstances

6. Be kind to your mind – habits supporting healthy minds

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

THESE ARE CRAZY TIMES…

THESE ARE CRAZY TIMES…

FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR MINDS

The brain / mind is the

most complicated part of

our bodies.

The mind is the manifestations of thought, perception, emotion, determination, memory and imagination that

takes place within the brain.

In the first year of life, the brain

will grow 3 x its size, and will

continue to grow until you are 18

years old.

• The human brain contains

approximately one hundred

billion neurons.

• Information travels between

neurons in your brain for

everything we see, think, or do

(can move up to 250mph or

402km/h, depending on how

familiar the task/thought is).

OUR NEED TO SURVIVE

Message

1Emotional brain / lizard brain / primitive brain• Emotional processing

• Interprets experience

• When it perceives danger, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus

• Perception – can be based on memories of similar / previous threaths

Command centre

• Communicates with the body through

the autonomic nervous system

• Physically prepares body for fight /

flight / freeze

• Tunnel vision, blocks out any info not

relevant

• Not a good state to be in in the long

run

2

• Adrenaline

• Cortisol (if threat continues)

Logical brain (frontal cortex)

• Thinking

• Reasoning

• Decision making

• Planning

Determine a logical response

3

Our brains are wired for certainty and

survival.

As soon as you get a sense that your

survival is threatened, your brain

responds with fight / flight / freeze.

OUR NEED TO SURVIVE (CONTINUES)

Amygdala automatically

activates fight or flight

If the threat is mild / moderate

the frontal lobes override the

amygdala, and enables a

rational response

• Frontal lobes (prefrontal cortex) are

processing the information

• Determine if the danger really exist,

and what the right response is

If the threat is strong, you can find

yourself in an

amygdala highjack

In the face of danger or uncertainty…

How to stop a Amygdala high-jack..

Consciously activate the

frontal cortex

Acknowledge you feel

threatened

Become aware of your

emotions and your body

Remind yourself that

what you are feeling is

an automatic response

Continue to engage your

frontal lobes by thinking

about the situation you

are in

1 2 3 4 5

OUR MINDS INTERACTING WITH OUR BODIES

What our brains produce, depends in part on our

thoughts, feelings, and expectations.

Our mind Our bodyPowerful

allies

How we think can effect how our bodies

feel

How our bodies feel can affect how we think

Fostering positive thoughts

Tense muscles, stomach pain,

headaches

Worrying about finances, the

future, your health etc

Production of endorphins which

are natural pain killers, which

strengthens the immune system

vs. vs.

DID YOU KNOW…

You have neurons in your gut (almost 500m of them), it is called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS)

…..As well as in your heart (more or less 40 000)

These neurons functions independently from the brain, but frequently communicate with your brain and

regulate bodily functions.

For example… when you are calm, your heart-rate is more rhythmic and steady. Your ‘gut’ is also at ease,

allowing your body to digest food properly.

When you are stressed / nervous, you tend to get ‘butterflies’ and your heart-rate picks up.

WHAT DOES A HEALTHY MIND LOOK LIKE?

A mind that allows you to….

Achieve a state of complete physical, mental and

social wellbeing

Current situation:

• Change

• Isolation

• Illness

• Stress (financial, work, home, school, etc.)

• Multitasking at home

• Wearing masks and excessive hand-washing

• Trauma (re-living previous trauma)

• Uncertainty about the future

Given the ‘biology’ of our minds and bodies, we can expect

this to be a tough time..

A healthy mind during C-19?

OUR MINDS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Boredom

Brilliance

“The best you can

be”

Burnout

Challenge / stretch

Performance

Low High

High

The right amount of pressure can be good for our brains, but we need to manage it carefully

WHAT ABOUT MULTI-TASKING?

When multitasking, we are just switching from one task to another, very rapidly. Each time you switch, it burns

oxygenated glucose (the fuel your brain needs to keep functioning) – making us feel exhausted after a short

while.

It makes it more difficult to organise our thoughts and to filter irrelevant information, reduces efficiency and quality

of our work, and creates stress and anxiety.

This creates a dangerous feedback loop that makes us feel like we are accomplishing a lot.

When we complete a tiny task we are hit with dopamine (reward hormone). Our brains love that dopamine and so

we are encouraged to keep switching between small tasks that give us instant gratification. (Recipe for social media)

Our brains are designed to focus on one thing at a time, so minimize multitasking…

TIPS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

Stick to 52 minutes on, and 17 minutes off

Do not eat in front of your computer

Do creative work first

Write tomorrow’s to-do list tonight

Can this only be done by me? Is it important? Two no’s = cut it!

Cut tasks that won’t help you reach a goal

Do your most important tasks first

Sort tasks according to what is urgent vs. important Introduce 30 min meetings

FACTORS LIMITING OUR MINDS TO FUNCTION OPTIMALLY

• Body (lack of exercise, unhealthy diet, lack of sleep, chronic pain, etc.)

• Environment (noise, distraction, etc.)

• Work (being unproductive, bored or overly stretched)

• Spirit (not able to do what you are passionate about)

• Finances (a lack thereof..)

• Community (being isolated, rejected, concerned, etc.)

• Emotions (guilt, stress, trauma, etc.)

How many of these factors are you currently faced with?

ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL – REWIRING OUR BRAINS

Neuroplasticity:

The brain is uniquely designed to be one of the most adaptable, modifiable, and regenerative organs in the

entire body.

The brain is like an

open field

BE KIND TO YOUR MIND

soft belly breathing

Be mindful

Manage your ego

Be vulnerable, and

cultivate compassion

Explore your calling

Love thyself

Food for thought

Get some zzzZZZ

Seek the sun

Shake that body and

laugh

Strike a pose

Daydream (PCD)

REFERENCES

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response#:~:text=After%20the%20amygdala%20sends%20a,as%20adrenaline)%20into%20the%20bloodstream.

https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/amygdala-hijack#overview

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/

https://exploringyourmind.com/the-heart-has-neurons-too/

https://medium.com/swlh/multitasking-is-killing-your-brain-cca83edca7bb

https://bigthink.com/brain-hack

https://www.samhealthplans.org/about-samaritan-health-plans/why-8-aspects-of-wellness

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-brain-smarter/201212/your-brain-your-productivity

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11762/5-ways-to-rewire-your-brain-for-meaningful-life-changes.html

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/productivity-tricks_b_5267663?utm_content=buffer0bec8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

https://www.livinghealthy.com/articles/10-mind-body-wellness-strategies

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response#:~:text=After%20the%20amygdala%20sends%20a,as%20adrenaline)%20into%20the%20bloodstreamhttps://www.healthline.com/health/stress/amygdala-hijack#overviewhttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/https://exploringyourmind.com/the-heart-has-neurons-too/https://medium.com/swlh/multitasking-is-killing-your-brain-cca83edca7bbhttps://bigthink.com/brain-hackhttps://www.samhealthplans.org/about-samaritan-health-plans/why-8-aspects-of-wellnesshttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-brain-smarter/201212/your-brain-your-productivityhttps://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11762/5-ways-to-rewire-your-brain-for-meaningful-life-changes.htmlhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/productivity-tricks_b_5267663?utm_content=buffer0bec8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=bufferhttps://www.livinghealthy.com/articles/10-mind-body-wellness-strategies