How to Use Our Brain Effectively

The first step on how to use our brain more effectively is by learning at least a little bit about this fantastic ‘thing’ we have within our heads. Unfortunately it doesn’t come with a manual – it would be so helpful!

Within our heads we keep this precious and incredible organ that represents just 2% of our total weight and is always switched on, never turns off, since we were born to until death no rest, even when we are sleeping.

Made of 100 billion very small cells called neurons. These neurons work in groups and the groups interact with each other forming a huge network of information. When you think about a lime, one group has the green information, another one has the round information, another has the texture information and another has the sour flavour bit and so on. You can even have groups of neurons that store other information about lime connecting it with a sad or happy memory that can make you have some other emotions attached to a lime.

The point is every one of us has our own memories, beliefs, skills, abilities stored in these groups of neurons. Therefore every time we encounter a situation in our lives these groups in connection with other groups are going to fire off and make us respond in a certain way. It can make us react in exactly the same way every time we have a specific stimulus.

However when we do something new a group of neurons will form new groups connections creating a new network of neurons. If we do it only once it will not create strong connections in these networks. If you repeat it again and again it will form stronger connections that will last. This is the process that the brain uses to learn and can serve us immensely but it can also make it difficulty to break unwanted connections i.e. bad habits. Luckily neuroscience tells us that we can also break the unwanted connections. If we are really willing to stop any mental or physical pattern we just have to continuously interrupt the pattern until we get the neurons network to stop working together in that particular way.

The learning process occurs is two ways through our intellect where we have to study long and hard to master a subject or through experience and the latest is the most powerful one. That is why we never forget how to ride a bike or drive.

The frontal lobe is an area of our brain located in the front. The frontal lobe is responsible for our focus and concentration. It allows us to make choices and decisions. It represents our free will.

When making choices we have two ways to do so, first is the biological response that allows us to save our lives in a danger situation the famous fight or flee reaction. The groups of neurons interact with other groups activating an entire network to have a response that will save our lives. However the same applies to habitual behaviours. Which not always are good ones.

The second way to make choices is by using the power of your frontal lobe, the power of focus and concentration and separate ourselves from the environment and observe. Observe as if we are outside the scene of our experience, as if we are a second person. If we, using the power of observation, can unplug unwanted neuron connections and plug new connections than we have the power of building an entire new network. A new ‘me’ and a new ‘you’. Observing we can realise - I have these neuron connections that fires and cause me to blame someone or something else for the unwanted results I have in my life.

Being observers of ourselves we are using our consciousness to make our brain examine all our choices and possibilities. We can make our brain work for us and not against us. Plug and unplug we have the power!