While practicing neuropsychiatry and studying neuroscience
for 40 years, my interest expanded from the human brain to include evidence of
mind throughout nature—in animals, plants, microbes, and other cells.
Amazingly, even plants and cells have intelligence, which means that science
isn't all we've been taught to believe.
1. Get
plenty of sleep.
Sleep is more important than most people realize. During
sleep, the brain cleans debris between cells and memory is increased. This is
why, when studying, it's not useful to pull all nighters. Instead, study
intensely and then sleep some.
2. Take
naps.
Napping can increase memory and creativity. It allows a
break to any creative logjams, new ideas, and consolidation of learning. If you
don't have time to doze at your desk, daydreaming can also lead to increased
creativity.
3.
Choose to change your memories.
Memory is not fixed. It changes each time we re-remember
some event. Therefore, the emotional impact of traumatic memories can be
altered with positive input during the 24-hour window that "reloads"
the memory. This period of time after remembering an event should be used to
bring some compassion to the painful subject.
4. Get
regular exercise.
If there is one magic bullet for increased body and brain
health, including increased memory, it is sensible regular exercise. Too much
or too little exercise can be harmful, but a moderate amount is critical for
brain function. Although it has been known for some time that exercise
increases brain connections and new brain cells, recently, a direct chemical
link was found to explain this.
5. Food
can have major effects on brain health, so eat whole foods.
When eating certain foods (including processed foods, sugar,
and unnatural ingredients), our hormones and neurons react strongly, as if
exposed to a drug. When strong reactions are triggered, the metabolism and
brain can become imbalanced. Many fruits and vegetables (such as berries) have
very beneficial effects in helping to clean debris from the brain.
6. What
we think and what we focus on can actually change our brain.
For a long time, scientists believed that the brain was
static after childhood. It was also believed that genetics was destiny. While
most of our DNA stays the same during out lives, the networks that determine
which DNA is used are completely altered by experience—by our perceptions and
choices.
7.
Loneliness is terrible for your immune system, so nurture your relationships.
Short-term stress is useful for learning and does not harm
the immune system, but long-term stress can cause inflammation and illness.
Isolation and loneliness have a negative effect on the immune system including
increased inflammation.
8. For
the sake of your immune system, be generous and support your community.
Generosity and community service have positive effects on
the immune system. Research shows that generosity and concern for people, not
objects, helps positive immune response. Recently, a study showed that
community service increased happiness, which in turn decreased factors related
to inflammation. These benefits were not associated with other
happiness-inducing activities, such as shopping, or travel, for example.
9.
Believe in your capacity for extraordinary experiences and talents.
Recent research showed that out-of-body experiences could be
triggered in normal people using virtual reality equipment. Other research
shows that religious/spiritual experiences can, also, be triggered in many
people by many different means. Surprisingly, the capabilities of savants—who
display advanced mathematical, memory, artistic and music capabilities without
training—can be triggered in ordinary people who have brain injury or with
magnetic/electric brain stimulation.
10.
Know that animals are far more intelligent than most scientists realize.
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