To succeed in any field, you need to force your brain to work at 100 percent, as famous businessmen, top managers, journalists and politicians do. By maintaining neuronal structures in tone, you can increase the effectiveness of thought processes. At the same time, do not forget about rest, which is needed by all parts of the body, including the central nervous system.
How the brain works
To understand how to make your brain work faster and more efficiently, you need to understand the mechanism of brain activity. The brain contains centers that are responsible for motor activity, cognitive abilities, and emotions. The sensory areas of the cortex perceive information coming from the organs of hearing and vision, as well as from skin receptors.
A newborn baby sees light, but does not consciously perceive it, because there are not enough neuronal connections in his brain that transmit information from the visual organs to the cortical regions. The baby observes the world around him, connections between neurons are gradually formed, which allows him to distinguish silhouettes, objects, and color shades.
The more a child uses his visual organs in the process of studying the outside world, the more intensely the neural networks develop. Full use of the brain requires its training, and from early childhood. It is in childhood that brain structures are most plastic and receptive to learning new information and skills. The more a person loads the brain matter, the more effective the brain activity.
The younger a person is, the faster he learns and the better he adapts to changes in the external environment. For example, children master computer literacy and learn foreign languages faster than adults. Researchers have confirmed the effectiveness of the techniques that many people use to develop their brains to 100 percent. An integrated approach and regular training are the key to success in any endeavor.
Cyborgs are coming
It's more like the plot of a science fiction movie. American scientists have created a device capable of regulating a person's mood. This is not fiction. A patient with chronic depression had an electrode implanted into the area of the brain responsible for the release of happiness hormones. The device is equipped with a control panel that regulates the level of irritation. The man smiled for the first time in many years.
Today, scientists claim that they can increase memory capacity by 20% by implanting special implants into the human brain. But there is another side to the issue. Will the general population have access to these innovations?
Otherwise, there is a danger - the intellectual gap between the “modified” part of humanity and representatives of the protein mind will be greater than between the Europeans who discovered America and the savages. But this question already lies in the sphere of scientific ethics.
Influencing factors
To activate the brain 100 percent, a method called mental stimulation is used. The intensity of thought processes is influenced by factors such as motivation, heredity, and environmental conditions. Genetic factors determine the intellectual potential of a child. Diseases and abnormalities in the formation of central nervous system structures have a negative impact on mental development.
Delayed mental development in a child is often associated with bad habits of the mother. Smoking and alcohol abuse in adulthood leads to inhibition of thought processes, rapid fatigue, and deterioration in concentration. Scientists have identified the adaptive properties of intelligence, determined by the social environment, the level of well-being and social status of the family, and the organization of nutrition.
A person experiencing a deficiency of nutrients (important microelements and substances that support the body’s vital functions) has lower performance and intellectual performance than his colleagues who receive good nutrition. A person sets goals that help him find a balance between abilities and prospects for growth - career, personal.
By loading subordinates and setting professional tasks for them, managers motivate employees to think. Factors such as a feeling of satisfaction after successfully completing an assignment, interest in professional duties, and cognitive motives when a person is passionate about the work process and achieving results can improve the performance of mental work.
Creating reality
Our views determine the direction of our life, they set the brain in motion, actions follow, happy opportunities arise, and then the dream becomes a reality. It turns out that we create our own reality, and the work of neurons and the formation of synapses is only part of the process.
So, a person who is depressed changes his brain, and behind it reality - he really perceives the world in duller colors, without feeling the taste of foods in the full world. But we, in contrast to a depressive state, can create a brighter and “tastier” world.
A few basic rules for creating reality
- You and your brain are not the same thing. Your personality is not just the activity of your brain. The brain does not create thoughts, just as Mozart's music is not created by the radio from which it sounds.
- You yourself form your own picture of the world. You not only passively receive reality, but you actively create it.
- Self-awareness affects your perception, and the higher your self-awareness, the more control you have over reality.
- Your mind is part of the creative power of the Universe.
The illusion of reality
Einstein said: “The most amazing thing is not the existence of the Universe, but our awareness of its existence.” In order to exist, the space around us needs our consciousness; without the qualities generated by consciousness (colors, sounds, textures, smells - neuroscientists call them “qualia”) the world would have no physical properties left.
Our illusion of reality is the belief that the physical world is the same for all living things. But it only reflects our setup, just as all other living beings can have their own “interface”, transforming the world into their own reality, creating THEIR world. We create images and call them reality, these images evolve and can be subject to our control, which means we can control reality.
The Perfect Brain Solution: Well-Being
A state of well-being occurs when the brain sends us positive signals an order of magnitude more often than negative ones. You can compare two people of the same age with identical jobs, income levels, health, social status and education - but one of them will be dissatisfied with life, prone to boredom and cynicism, and the other will be inspired, filled with interest in life and active.
It turns out that these people, with the same input data, have different quality of life. The point is that each person processes their experiences differently. Adjust the “metabolism” of your brain yourself: feel that everything in your life is under control; acknowledge that you are doing well; get new impressions and experiences that refresh your perception; appreciate the positive possibilities of each day; Avoid negativity.
Ways to increase the activity of brain structures
Scientists agree that you can use your brain 100 percent if you follow programs developed by specialists such as neurologists and neurobiologists. Instrumental tests conducted by neuroscientists, observing subjects for several days, indicate an increase in the activity of brain structures due to mental and physical stress.
Recent research shows that exercise stimulates cognitive abilities and strengthens memory. This conclusion was made after the experiment. Scientists asked subjects in one group to do gymnastics during a break between performing professional duties. The members of the other group were simply resting passively at this time. After the break, the participants in the first group demonstrated better results in solving intellectual problems.
Scientists explain these results by the increased release of growth factors - chemicals (brain-derived neurotropic factors, also known as BDNF) that are formed in the body under the influence of physical activity. These substances make the brain plastic, which makes it work as efficiently as possible.
Working in this mode, brain structures better perceive and process visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli coming from outside, and also remember information related to them. The more BDNF is produced, the easier it is for a person to remember new information and the less effort required to perform diverse tasks. What to do to use your whole brain one hundred percent:
- Eat fatty fish. The polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in the product stimulate the formation of new connections between neurons. Healthy fats are involved in the maturation of young neurons, which is responsible for the link between food quality and mental performance. A deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body correlates with susceptibility to stress and the development of depression.
- Meditate. Neuroscientists at the Harvard Medical School believe that 10 minutes of daily meditation can pump up the brain and increase its functionality. Scientific studies have shown that people who practice meditation for an extended period of time have decreased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex. This part of the cortex is responsible for free thinking, known as mind wandering, which often distracts a person from completing assigned tasks. Increased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex leads to poor concentration.
- Do yoga. Yoga classes have an effect similar to meditation - they help you focus on your goals and not be distracted from reality. To feel the results, you need to devote 20 minutes to yoga daily.
- Drink water. Drinking a glass of water in the morning on an empty stomach will give you a feeling of vigor for the whole day. Scientists attribute the effect to the positive impact of water on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn leads to adequate functioning of all other body systems.
- Notice the details. For example, scientists believe that it is enough to learn to identify subtle shades of different odors in order to enhance brain activity. Research shows that inhaling the aroma of basil, lavender, rose, and lemon balm can improve your ability to concentrate.
- Look at the world positively. It is easier for a person who is not afraid of anything, does not worry, and is in an excellent mood to clear his brain. He can easily handle complex matters, including those requiring the use of his own intellectual resources.
To effectively pump and develop your brain to the maximum, use the recommendations of neurologists, who emphasize how important it is to alternate between exercise and rest. Thought processes are launched with renewed vigor when neuronal structures receive adequate loads. But like any organ, the brain needs rest. A restful and long sleep will restore the efficiency of the brain matter and increase the vitality of the whole organism. Other ways to fully engage your brain:
- Limit the flow of information. Careful selection of information that the brain processes daily will help you concentrate on important tasks and significant matters, pushing secondary information into the background. You need to build your contacts with the outside world consciously, setting priorities and taking into account the degree of importance of data coming from outside. You can save time and intellectual resources by reducing pointless communication on social networks.
- Train mindfulness. Train yourself to notice the smallest details. This skill will help you focus on important things and moments. To improve the function of concentration, do breathing or any other exercise, clearly controlling the slightest action and movement. Conscious, non-automatic movements form a detailed perception of reality.
- Trust your intuition. To improve the functions of the central nervous system, you need to pay attention to factors that contribute to achieving this goal. If you notice that you work much more productively after a 30-minute walk in the fresh air, do not deny yourself the pleasure of taking a walk every day.
There are effective techniques that help you remember and put into practice large amounts of information. It is important to find your own personal way to improve memory in order to retain useful data in your head, if necessary, “pressing” buttons and retrieving relevant facts and information.
Get enough sleep
Sleep deprivation has not yet been fully studied. But science knows for sure that the main function of sleep is to remove the biochemical waste products of the brain that appear as a result of its activity. This means that lack of sleep can cause the accumulation of harmful beta-amyloid proteins. Beta-amyloids, which can lead to various diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
How to get rid of the habit of lack of sleep? You will have to change your lifestyle, and this is not easy. It’s not enough to just think: “I can’t get enough sleep now, but I’ll do it this weekend.” This won't work. Recovering from one sleepless night is not difficult, but chronic lack of sleep takes a lot of effort.
How long should you sleep? An adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Additional events
In order for the brain to work better, you need to do gymnastics, which provokes an increase in the activity of brain structures. American scientists from the Salk Institute (Salk, San Diego, California) have found that physical activity is associated with the activity of areas responsible for learning and memory. Other recommendations:
- Maintain normal blood supply to the brain. To improve blood circulation in the head area, do massage or exercises - rotational movements, bending.
- Train your thinking abilities. To improve brain function, you need to analyze, study the world around you, travel, and increase your impressions. Experts recommend trying new tactile sensations, tastes and smells, consciously capturing the slightest nuances. Right-handers are advised to develop their left hand, and left-handers - their right.
- Be creative. Painting, sculpture, choreography, music are areas of art that are aimed at developing creative thinking.
- Smile. American scientists from the National Institutes of Health have found that positive thoughts improve mental abilities, while negative emotions and attitudes worsen the thinking process.
- Develop memory. It is enough to pick up an old photo album or diary for memories from the past to come flooding back. Reflection and pleasant memories are associated with positive emotions, which help overcome life's difficulties and activate brain activity.
- Take breaks. A short rest of 15-20 minutes during the working day will help you relax and eliminate muscle and nervous tension. Scientists have found that short rest breaks improve performance and reduce fatigue after a hard day.
- Reduce the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed. Ethanol destroys nerve cells, which leads to functional disorders.
Activities that make the brain work include reading and writing books, including reworking the works of others, which is the same as writing original works. Experts advise solving crosswords, solving puzzles, mathematical and logical problems that will diversify your leisure time and force your nerve cells to work intensively.
There are many different ways to develop your brain 100 percent; intuition and expert recommendations will tell you how to choose the right one.
Books - how to improve your intellect
You need to read books constantly, they develop your intellect. From a scientific point of view, when reading literature, an amazing process occurs in the body: myelination of white matter in the nervous system occurs much faster, which means that nerve impulses are fired more efficiently and brain function is enhanced.
When reading a book, we connect several types of brain activity at once, in addition to reading letters, a figurative series appears, the emotional background is connected, a person begins to empathize and participate in the action. This is a great way to activate your brain and nerve impulses.
Always consider an alternative
Even if the situation is as clear as a child’s tear, imagine that the cards are laid out incorrectly and the original plan collapses . The reason for this may be the human factor, a coincidence, or simple bad luck. So what's now? Think about an alternative in advance. Remember, you’ve probably rehearsed a difficult conversation with a person more than once. And if he says this, I'll say that. And if he says something completely different, you’ll have to answer something different from what you planned. This is roughly how this method works.
Don't think about when to do it
There are situations when there is no time to think - you need to take it and act. What if you make a mistake and something irreparable happens? Eh, if only they would give us at least a couple of minutes to think and make the right decision! But sometimes these precious minutes are simply not there - circumstances drive you into a corner, and you have to act automatically. If you start thinking, you won’t have time to complete the action. To avoid such situations, learn to anticipate them and think in advance what you will do. Yes, you are not Vanga, but the main stressful situations can be predicted : these are unexpected fines, returned goods, customer complaints, supply interruptions, and staff problems. Develop an action plan in advance and, if necessary, implement it.
Doubt it!
Thomas the Unbeliever did not believe in anything and, they say, lived a long time. You and I are used to imagining him as a negative hero, but the dude was right! Question not only the words and actions of others (they can be wrong), but also your own (you can also be wrong). People who are sacredly confident that they are right (those for whom there are two opinions - their own and the wrong one) tend to have inflexible thinking. But for an entrepreneur, this is like death, because you need to constantly adapt to the requirements of the law, the wishes of clients, and the conditions of partners. Therefore, stop considering your opinion to be the ultimate truth - everyone has their own truth.
Practice multitasking
It is ordinary employees who can afford to concentrate on one task and carry it out to the bitter end. An entrepreneur needs to think about everything at the same time: how to pay the rent, what new products to include in the assortment, how to find new suppliers... It’s not surprising that sometimes the brain is boiling, but one’s hands give up.
How to develop multitasking? The main thing is not to grab everything at once. From the list of things to do today, choose a priority task and start from there. Gradually start solving other problems - before you know it, you already look like the multi-armed Shiva.
However, the property of multitasking has significant disadvantages:
Train your mindfulness
This tip follows directly from the first. Distracted attention is a very undesirable quality for a businessman. Remember how attentive Sherlock Holmes was - not even the most insignificant detail escaped his gaze. A simple exercise will help you develop concentration: set aside 10–15 minutes every day for... And for nothing. Just sit down, close your eyes and do nothing. Concentrate on your own breathing, make every inhalation and exhalation conscious. Every little sensation is important. Imagine that you are in the gym and working out one specific muscle - for example, triceps. Every day it will grow, your muscles will be stronger, and your arms will be more massive. It's the same with attention. This exercise will teach you to concentrate on the little things and notice everything that you didn’t even pay attention to before.
Memorize lists
If you're a successful multitasker, here's a surprise: you also need to develop your memory to remember all those tasks. Most people don't know how to remember long lists. Even when going to the store, we are sure to forget a few items if we don’t write them down in advance. So what does that mean? The conclusion is obvious: you need to make lists for every day, week, month , and methodically follow their implementation.
But that is not all. Sometimes you simply don’t have time to make lists: things are circling you in a merry round dance, sometimes you don’t even have time to have lunch. This means you need to learn to keep lists of tasks in your head and not forget them. How to do it? Use Loki's method: visualize each step .
You will need some imagination and spatial imagination. In fact, everything is simple: let’s say you need to remember how to go to a meeting with your next partner. The navigator is broken, you are guided by the main points along the way: a shopping center on the road, a large intersection, a difficult turn, an industrial zone. Now select visual associations for each point. For example, a shopping center - shopping with your wife, here she is, dressed up, trying on new dresses and jewelry at home. A crossroads is a difficult choice you need to make (connect it to a real life situation, what is happening right now, happened in the recent past or is about to happen). Industrial zone - smoke and smog, a man in a gas mask. Imagine these images until they are firmly imprinted in your memory.
Work on your mistakes
The ability to admit your mistakes and do everything to prevent them from repeating in the future is a hallmark of a wise adult. If you endlessly justify yourself or blame others for failures, there is a high risk of stepping on the same rake. But if you admit a mistake and start thinking about a solution, your brain will thank you for it . He will begin to look for a solution to the problem, go through and analyze the options, and eventually come up with the optimal solution.
Dream!
If you live with the feeling that you have reached the ceiling in business, your brain will calm down and relax. What more could one wish for, what more could one think about—after all, everything has already been achieved. New goals excite brain cells, give them constant work , not to mention the fact that they encourage you to develop. But don’t daydream: when the decision is made, go and implement it.
All these rules are quite simple, you can start putting them into practice now. Try at least a few methods and tell us if they helped. Good luck in self-improvement!
Finally get some sleep!
To fall asleep, ordinary people count sheep, while entrepreneurs count profits, think about sudden expenses, that employees will soon have to pay salaries... With such thoughts, you can toss and turn in bed until the morning, and in the morning you can get up exhausted and tired. You need to get good sleep: to do this, drink tea with honey or warm milk before going to bed, take a relaxing bath with aromatic oils . In difficult cases, a sleeping pill will help (just be sure to consult your doctor!). Remember: a healthy adult needs at least 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Ideally, you need to focus on your biorhythms (are you a night owl or a lark) and forget about the alarm clock: go to bed and get up not when you need to, but when you want to.
Conscious lifestyle choices
The secret to healthy living and longevity is to change effortlessly. To do this, it is necessary to create a matrix for making the right decisions, which will allow you to easily make the right choice. Each of us already has a matrix of life attitudes, only for some it is more positive (for example, those who do not have fast food in the refrigerator and there are no video games in the house).
Positive Lifestyle Matrix Key Points: Good Friends; lack of insulation; friendships with a loved one; availability of time for rest; stress and anger management; communication with people who lead a healthy lifestyle; participation in important social projects; setting a life goal.
Learning longevity from cells
Cells are wise in their existence; they have been able to survive billions of years of evolution. Let's see what the secret of their survival is and learn from them.
Cells cooperate and communicate with each other. They united into organs and tissues, winning in this, creating such a perfect mechanism that protects them as the brain.
Cells can heal themselves. By connecting our self-awareness, understanding where mental or physical pain comes from, we can also learn to do this.
Cells trust the world. They store food reserves for just a few seconds and trust that the Universe will take care of them. Let's trust the world and worry less.
Cells are in constant motion. Curiosity and the desire for positive changes continue to live our lives.
Cells communicate with the outside world while maintaining internal balance. We, too, should not be separated from the outside world by prohibitions, fears and denials.
Cells mercilessly get rid of toxins. We must also watch what we eat, inhale, and drink. And get rid of invisible toxins - stress and anxiety.
Death, or rather division, is part of the life of cells. Treat death not as the opposite of life, but as part of it and a transition to another state.
