THE HUMAN MIND

By now we are aware of the fact that our brain is plastic and has the ability to change throughout life.
We have to ask: what kind of NEURAL CIRCUITS am I creating, with my MIND, every second of my life?

What is MIND?
I perceive MIND as energy, attention, awareness, consciousness; some force which we can guide in the direction we want it.
If it is positive, our mind will be positive, and so will our brain, because of the interconnection between the two.

How does the MIND influence the BRAIN?
Every thought/emotion/concept that runs through us, is supported by an array of Neurochemicals. They influence the brain directly to further or stop a reaction, or they work to modify each other, often in en long chain of events between different areas of the brain.
The better conditions we give our Epigenetics, to help us modify our Genetics, the smoother the brain is able to adjust and regulate according to the impulses from the Neurochemicals.
Every time an emotion/thought/feeling arises, it causes one or more Neurochemicals to be released as signals to our nervous systems, either to alert to danger, or to flag something positive.
When a memory comes up, associated with emotions/feelings/thoughts, neurons and synapses then form a new pattern, which the memory re-stores together with the emotions/feelings/thoughts associated with it.

How can we change from NEGATIVE to POSITIVE?
Since perception and association colour a memory, we can work with changing our perception of the memory; changing our association from negative to positive.
The longer we stay in such a positive context, the more the negative connotation will disappear.
When finally the memory is re-stored it will be with a positive vibe to it, and change has happened.

"USE them, or LOSE them."
The negative circuits will gradually wither away as they are no longer being activated, and over time they will diminish/disappear/become ineffective, because the positive has taken over.
In this way, neural circuits work much like body muscles: "use them, or lose them".
The brain is very rational: no need to feed circuits, which are no longer active.
It is entirely up to you to decide which ones to use, and which ones to lose.
This is an personal decision for which you are responsible in your thoughts, words and deeds.
This is how powerful the mind is in shaping your entire being.
Think about that for a minute, or more...

Apply ANTIDOTES:
I can not stress enough the importance of being aware of our disturbing feelings and emotions as soon as they arise.
Catch them like a thief coming to rob you of your peace of mind.
The good news is: all emotions have a powerful antidote.
And antidotes work.
They work, because we can not be positive and negative at the same time: we can not love and hate at the same time. One will be prevalent, always!
Since words might have slightly different meanings for each person, I shall leave it to your own good judgement to look up what antidotes would be of help to you right now in your life.

Nervous Systems and MIND.
We embody an Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which has two parts: Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).
They work like a seesaw. When one is up, the other is down.
Activate the SNS with negative and revengeful emotions, which gives indications of fight/danger/anger/hatred and your whole system is on fire. Ready to burn you to the ground.
Activate the PNS with love, compassion, kindness and positive vibes, and the whole being is relaxed/happy/at ease; life becomes smooth sailing.

How do we activate our PNS?
Since the PNS is our baseline of equilibrium, we should do our utmost to make it a more prevalent part of our personality. We can do this through:
Yoga, Breathing Exercises, Meditation, Mindfulness, Visualisation, being in Nature, outdoor aerobic activities like swimming, cycling, jogging...
These are, by the way, the same kinds of initiatives, which are proven to enhance our Epigenetics...
We can and should support our PNS by the conscious and constant alertness to our inner life, applying the necessary antidotes the very second the culprit of disturbing emotions shows its ugly face, pretending to be our "friend"!

MIND and ETHICS:
The more you are aware of the ethics in your life, the easier it will be to create, from within, the calm and relaxation, which is the background for contemplative practises.
As you have probably already noticed from this website, I strongly advocate for a plant-based, non-harming diet and life style. It works wonders for your subconsciousness and fuels the PNS greatly.

Carving POSITIVE NEURAL CIRCUITS:
Every time a positive emotion/memory/feeling is stored in your brain, it will further the little trickle of carving new neural pathways in your brain.
This will assist your mind to shift focus to the positive in life, which again makes the positive circuits in the brain even stronger...

BRAIN WAVES created by the MIND:
We know from experienced meditators of many traditions, how deep concentration, focus and meditation on love, compassion, kindness, tolerance, forgiveness sets the whole brain in motion to create certain beneficial brain waves.
This has been measured in labs.
It is a scientific fact.
Combine this with the knowledge of how calmness and peace points to a more healthy brain and mind and you can hopefully see, why this kind of life practise is a divine present to all of us humans.
A present, I most strongly advise you to integrate into your daily life.

"Use your MIND to change your BRAIN to train your MIND for a better tomorrow... for you and everyone, who comes in contact with you"