“Sometimes I feel like I’m brain dead, or at the very least, my brain is in a thick fog at sea. And I don’t know if it’s because I’ve crossed the 40-year mark, or if it’s due to menopause, or if my brain is just worn down. I’ve been to multiple specialists, and they assured me I am fine.”
Then, with tears almost popping from her eyes (that she clearly had not planned on) she asked, “What on earth is wrong with me?”
There was a time in history, when almost any doctor would have said things such as,
- You’re just getting older.
- It’s something that happens to almost everyone.
- There’s probably a genetic link.
- Drink more coffee.
- Don’t worry about it.
- There’s not much we can do.
However, the new fascinating science of neuropsychology (along with SPECT brain imaging) allows us to scan and determine the health of our brain. SPECT imaging can see you/me/us processing thought – in real time!
Which provides mental health doctors, with a more hopeful and more powerful treatment options.
Why?
These treatments can now be targeted to the parts of our brains, that the SPECT scans show are struggling, to function at proper levels.
Not only can we determine exactly what’s going on in the brain, but we also know that managing the cognitive and nutritional health of your brain can address so many things that occur in our bodies.
With a mixture of glimmering in her eyes, along with indignation, my client blurted out, “I actually had one doctor tell me after seeing that my blood work appeared normal, I was probably just screwed by genetics.”
I nodded with empathy and said, “The great and hopeful news is that research now reveals that we can dramatically improve the quality of our lives and our health, by tuning into the health of our brains.”
As hope continued to glimmer in her eyes, my client committed to doing anything recommended to make sure her brain was healthy!
You must understand this! A healthy brain is the foundational key to an abundant life.
According to the (WHO) World Health Organization:
The brain is arguably the most complex organ in the human body and recognized as the body’s command center, influencing every aspect of life.
Brain health is the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral, and motor domains. Brain health allows a person to realize their full potential over the course of their life, irrespective, of the presence or absence of disorders.
Champions are very aware of the importance of brain health and how it effects processing each thought that moves them from point A to point B. And don’t worry, it doesn’t involve lobotomies, brain shocking, or any of the primitive things we once believed.
100% of us, regardless of our educational background, our culture, our income, our age…can all have a healthy brain.
(Question? Are you thinking, “I don’t know about this…it sounds too good to be true and you know what they say about that?!” In this case-it’s absolutely the truth. You/me/we have the power (actually, we ARE the power) to rewire, revive, restore, rejuvenate ‘our attitudes’ in the present, to fuel our desires and hope our hopes for the future! What the ancient proverbs and scriptures have declared centuries ago, is now the science of the present. God and science are with us, for us, around us! All you/me/we need to do is make the decision to will our faith that the truths of neuroscience are gifts for all of us. Then begin to apply them to our lives … daily. As Dr. Daniel Amen says, “Change your brain, change your life!”)
There was a time when we thought that was never true with brain injury. But now we know that even with brain injury, there’re possibilities for a healthy rejuvenated brain.
The morals of all of this?
You/me/we deserve an abundant life.
If you’re serious about the abundant life,
you must become serious about
the health of your brain.
You may be wondering, like my client, where on earth does one start?
We’ll get you started this week and give you important researched information about improving your brain health over the next month or so.
Get started now doing the 3 things that all Champions to do to jump start their brain health. I hope you’ll join with the same dedication and determination that my client did.
1. They avoid toxins to their brains.
Champions are very dedicated and diligent in keeping their brains toxic free. Of course, the number one reason is because of their dedication to living the abundant life. Which is diverted or gridlocked with toxins in the brain.
Before we get to what the toxins are, the reason they impede abundant living is because research has shown that introducing toxins to the brain create these symptoms and maladies…
- Mood swings
- Brain fog
- Sleeping problems
- Extreme fatigue
- Head aches
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Short term memory challenges that eventually morph into long-term memory problems
- Confusion
- ADD/ADHD
- Irritability
- Digestive issues
- Restlessness
“OMG! You just described my life! Does that mean if I remove toxins that some of those symptoms might disappear? If so, I’ll remove all toxins this very moment!”
I responded cautiously, “I love your dedication and determination to this. But before I go there, let me assure you that eliminating them is easier said than done. Not to mention that most people are not prepared for things that appear on the list!”
She almost interrupted as she blurted out, “I’m good as long as sugar and caffeine are not considered toxins…I think I’ll be fine.”
I gave a chuckle and responded, “Here we go…let’s go through the list of just a few of the toxins. And then…let’s see how your determination holds up!?”
Our environment and our lives are filled with toxins. This is not an exhaustive list, but the list I began with to challenge my client.
- Medication
“All Medications Are Poison, is a book by Melvin H. Kirschner, M.D. I expected it to be against conventional medicine. But the preface said, everything we do has a risk-benefit ratio. Dr. Kirschner took the title from his first pharmacology lecture in medical school and the professor went onto say, ‘I’m here to teach you how to poison people.’ And after a pause, he added, ‘without killing them, of course’.”
- Sugar
According to Harvard Medical School, sugar can cause the brain to shrink or atrophy and is the most addictive substance there is…period.
- Alcohol.
According to WebMD: “High amounts of alcohol can change the brain’s levels of GABA to result in decreased attention, drowsiness, slurred speech, slower reaction time, and overall sluggishness. All these effects can lead to deficits in memory, attention, and learning, as well as accidents and dangerous situations.”
- Recreational drugs
- Refined carbs
- Junk food
- Negativity
- Pesticides
- Nail polish remover
- Heavy metals
- Anesthesia
- Chemotherapy
- Some cleaning materials
- Many more
In a sigh of dismay my client said and asked, “So everything I eat and everything I drink is now off the list. And I guess I have to quit my anti-depressants and my Xanax? And God forbid…I can’t get my nails done?”
I smiled and leaned in with compassion, “I get it! You don’t have to go hungry, and you definitely don’t stop your medication.” (More on that in upcoming sessions. And for my readers, in future blogs. Never change any medications without consulting your prescribing physician).
“For now,” I continued with my client, “Let’s just address one toxin to reduce or eliminate at a time.”
I waited for her answer as she considered what she might be willing to address.
After a brief pause, she said, “Well…it’s not going to be my junk food, or my wine, or my medication…at least not yet.”
You would’ve thought she was choosing what misery and suffering she might remove from her life.
I suggested, “I want you to think about it like this … ‘what can I begin to address to get my life back? And to be ready to step into the abundant life’?”
Immediately, the task seemed less daunting by the expression on her face.
(Let’s pause. I too, when my daily sugar intake was at a mood-altering toxic level, didn’t jump at the idea of stopping. But like all of us who KNOW what substance is altering our best life now, I KNEW I had to eliminate sugar from my life. For the health of my moods, my attitudes, my wants. And, for the goodness and direction that my brain can be to me and for me. But the truth was, it was my body craving sugar out loud inside me, at the very idea of me saying to myself ‘it’s time to stop…I have to stop’! You see, you’re not alone. Yes, it’s hard. But that call to stop our using that we hear inside us, is the Champion…calling and showing us…step one! Our first A to B move.)
She said with ponder, “I’ve been wanting to move to less harsh, cleaning chemicals for a long time. How about if I go by Whole Foods on the way home and get some, less-toxic cleaners?”
I nodded and added, “I think that’s a great place to start!”
What about you? Where are you willing to start? Again, please do not change any of your medication without first visiting with the physician who prescribed it.
Although I’ve seen many people reduce medications dramatically as their brains became healthier. That’s NOT something you should ever do on your own.
Start somewhere.
Start today.
Start for the health of your brain.
Which starts your journey to the abundant life.
The first step is everyone’s
first step to a destiny.
2. Deal with trauma.
Let me begin with my abbreviated definition…
Any experience that has affected us in any way
that diminishes who we are,
that dulls our gifts and talents,
and makes life more difficult
than it would have otherwise been.
“If we deal with my trauma, we’ll be here 10 years,” My client proclaimed!
With understanding and empathy, I responded, “I understand exactly what you mean. I felt the same way when I began addressing mine. But what I learned, and have had confirmed with thousands of clients, is that the first two or three take a bit and are challenging. After that, a globalization affect occurs, and the remaining are much more easily healed.”
For more information about healing from trauma, you may begin reading my series about it by clicking here: (https://bit.ly/BeginHealingYourTrauma). It is a series of about 7-10 blogs.
My client agreed to doing all the work to heal her trauma.
Why is this so important to Champions?
Because trauma changes our brains on so many levels!
Everything from how we make decisions, our responses to the world,
and how your brain, actually and authentically operates.
For example, trauma affects our amygdala, which is how we process emotions. Instead of knowing our emotions we often just ‘act’ them out.
It affects our hippocampus, which oversees our memory. It also affects our prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for regulating emotions and impulses. That makes feeling ‘normal’ up for grabs and one of the reasons, if not the ‘ultimate’ reason, we medicate and normal becomes numbing out.
All three of these areas of our brains help us manage and control stress. When they’re thrown off kilter by any triggers, unless we’ve done a lot of healing, we return to our ‘early’ in life trauma responses. We become an adult child. And ‘the act’ is on.
Attempting to hold onto or pursue an abundant life when we’re dealing with unresolved trauma, is a lot like trying to hold a handful of wet sand. The tighter you try to hold onto it, the quicker it slips through your fingers.
Resolving trauma is a ‘foundational-piece’ for the abundant life.
Are you willing to join the ranks of Champions who enjoy the abundant life? Because they’re ready, willing, and able to deal with their trauma.
I know you are!
The challenge is
knowing how to deal
with the trauma.
And what to do.
Acknowledging that you’ve unresolved trauma is the first major step,
and the most difficult one.
But every journey begins with a choice that we want
something different.
You can do it…you simply must do it!
Use the link above to begin your journey of healing from trauma. And resurrecting your Champion.
When it gets difficult, just remind yourself…
it’s worth laying a firm foundation
for the abundant life.
That life that you so deserve!
“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it. For that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You’re overcome by the fact, because you think you are.”
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
3. They stomp on ANTs.
When I told my client about this third point, she immediately blurted out, “I have no idea what that’s all about. But it sounds like fun! So, count me in!”
Dr. Daniel Amen coined the term ANTs to signify…
Automatic
Negative
Thoughts
We all have them.
They always erode
every foundation of
the abundant life.
That’s not just a clever thought. A plethora of research in neuroscience has proven the detriment of these automatic negative thoughts and their effects on a healthy brain.
Every negative thought you have alters your brain chemistry.
Let me say that one more time.
Let me say that one more time.
LET ME SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME.
(Yes, it’s that important!)
EVERY negative thought you have
Alters…changes…your attitudes, moods, views, brain chemistry.
Creating a cascade of negative effects…
- Depleting beneficial brain chemicals like the feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine
- Slowing the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein required for new brain cell formation
- Shrinking the size of the brain but enlarging the amygdala, the brain’s fear center
- Increasing the risk of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases
- Accelerating the brain’s aging process…
- All BAD STUFF
Research says we think an average of 70,000 thoughts today.
Of all those thoughts, 90% of them are repetitive.
That means that 63,000 of them are on automatic.
Of those, it’s estimated that 70% of those are negative.
That means we think about
44,100 NEGATIVE thoughts daily,
stuck on cognitive cruise control.
.
Without our awareness, we’re damaging our brains.
THINK ABOUT THAT!
REALLY…THINK ABOUT IT!
THAT’S POWERFUL!
It’s such a worthy task to examine our automatic negative thoughts!
Particularly, since about 95% of them were installed on the hard drive of our thinking processor, by the time we were age 7.
Most of them, we are totally unaware of.
But my cry to you for you my friend is…WAKE UP!
Wake up from the deep hypnotic sleep of allowing negative thoughts to run your life, planted in you as a child. AND…you don’t even know it!
“I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m so glad to hear this,” My client almost shouted in victory!
Curiously, I asked her what she was referring to.
“Well recently, I was shopping for a new car. I’d done my research and I was trying to be sensible and frugal. But a sports car on the showroom floor grabbed my attention. I wanted it so badly that I could hardly stand it!”
She paused to recall the moment and continued.
“The salesman could see my delight and asked if I’d like to sit in it. I responded immediately: ‘OH NO!’ but said ‘thank you’ as I began walking out to look at cars on the lot.”
As we walked he said teasingly, “I could see ‘gotta to have it’ from head to toe when you saw that car. But you sure shut down the opportunity to just sit in it quickly! What’s that about?”
“Immediately I said because people who drive sports cars are more likely to be killed in car accidents.”
He smiled and we kept walking.
“Then I said to him, ‘It’s true, isn’t it’? Then he corrected me with a cheerful tone when he said that most sports car drivers are so proud of their cars that they’re actually more defensive ‘drivers according to research.”
I waited.
“Then he asked, where did you hear something different’?”
She’d been looking at the floor but then looked up.
“That was my aha moment. I stopped dead in my tracks and said, ‘My dad told all of us that from the time we were kids…OMG! He didn’t believe that for a second, but he promised that when we all graduated from college, with a 3.5 or higher, he’d buy us all the car of our choice. And he didn’t wanna pay for sports cars! That was the truth. Not his ‘excuses’ about sports car drivers!”
We both laughed hysterically at her aha moment.
I couldn’t help but ask, “So did you buy the car?”
With great delight, and a bright smile in twinkling eyes, she responded, “No. But I went to another dealership to buy the sports car I’d dreamed of for years.”
Although that’s a frivolous example of an automatic negative thought, it was guiding her life…all out of her awareness.
Usually, the automatic negative thoughts are much more personal and potentially more destructive like…
- You’ll never amount to anything.
- Things won’t go right for you.
- You’ll never get it right.
- You’re not smart enough.
- You’re too young, too old.
- Life sucks.
- And the list goes on.
I gave her an assignment that I’d like to give you as well if you’re willing to stomp on your ANTs. I asked her to set an alarm on her Apple Watch for every hour during her waking hours.
I asked her when the alarm went off, which was just a buzz on her wrist, to identify an automatic negative thought she’d had in that past hour.
I suggested that in a week, she should come back with at least 70. If she did it 10 times a day, seven days a week, she’d be prepared!
Are you willing to do the hourly check?
Gather them!
Let’s have an ANT stomping party!
*****
My client returned the next week, with a good start with eliminating her toxins, beginning her trauma work, and with a hearty list of ANTs to stomp.
She asked something I hear often: “How long should it take before I start seeing some results?”
Balancing encouragement with false hope, I said to her, “You should begin to see some minor differences immediately. Things like, your thoughts are becoming clearer. Or you’re feeling a moment of joy while walking in the sunshine. Things like that!”
(Let’s pause. Joy is not some cheesy self-defeating attempt at a better than normal life. If you/me/we have to count on ‘the use’ of any brain altering substance, just to get us to an ounce of temporary joy, where cheesy is a fleeting fake brain flare of euphoria, self-defeating will always be our standard. I’ll ask you…how’s that working for you? Welcome to insanity or a ‘change’ your world moment. We get to choose.)
“Oh, my gosh, I’m so excited to hear that! Because I’m already feeling better.”
I asked her if she could give me some examples. With a beaming smile, she said, “I’m not nearly as hopeless. I’m feeling a bit more energetic.
And most importantly, the dark cloud of depression seems to be lifting.”
If you’ll just get started you’ll find differences fairly quickly.
This may seem new to you.
We are dedicated to taking daily vitamins for our health.
Taking care of our hearts, doing mild cardio.
Cutting down our drinking for the health of our liver.
Yet, we hear precious little about the health of our brains, which determines our emotions, our thoughts, our decisions, the quality of our life, not to mention many health issues.
It determines
what drives us
what we value
what our hearts say!
We all want an abundant life.
You deserve an abundant life!
It’s available to you for you
and for you alone to choose.
The world is as negative as we make it.
We get to choose.
Lay the foundation by deciding to become aware of the health of your brain.
Then follow along with what’s to come, as I speak about how to begin the healing of your brain. How to maintain it for the sake of an extraordinary abundant life.
When stress becomes chronic, it actually changes the brain down to the level of its DNA.
It might feel like your negative thoughts are keeping you safe. But what they’re really doing is holding you captive in a destructive cycle of stress and resulting misery.
Get dedicated to the health of your brain.
That’ll start you on
your path to the abundant life.
The life you deserve.
You/me/we have the power
To change everything…let’s do this!
“If abundance doesn’t come from wealth, then what’s its source? Abundance is first and foremost an attitude about life.”
John Maxwell
