7 Day Challenge
What I am suggesting
Whether we are working, playing an instrument, taking a test, or resting, our brains are running at various speeds. If we want to take a test, it is great to have a brain that runs on beta speed. If we want to draw a picture, alpha seems to be more creative, and when we are day-dreaming or falling asleep, theta brain waves are the speed of choice.
Parts of our brains seem to prefer a certain speed and that is why we have heard, so often, that if you are right brained you are creative. Did we ever think that you are right brained because you tend to have a brain that runs at a slower speed? That’s a paradigm shift – so let that sink in for a while. It’s not that the ‘powers that be’ were wrong. They just didn’t go far enough in their explanation.
What it will do for you
Let’s see if I can actually offer you an opportunity to take your thinking to another level without the help of books and drugs. I am not making any statements other than the fact that you will probably see dramatic changes in your ability to connect things in your brain by the end of our few days of work. One person who listened to talks suddenly realized they could remember what was said, even after time had passed. One student who just wasn’t testing well tested amazingly after our time together. Basically, what we are doing is forcing your brain to create additional little paths to your storage areas. You already remember everything. It’s in your storage areas. You just don’t have a way of retrieving it. So let’s start building a bunch of little roads in your brains.
With a degree in psychology and teaching violin and music theory for many years, I have pulled together ideas that have made dramatic differences in the ability to think and remove road blocks, in my students and some of their parents.
The brain is not built like an onion – no layers. It has multiple complex interweaving connections – but our learning style and unique ‘selfie profile’ of how we process information is. The results, such as being artistic, are tell-tale signs of your personal processing style. It might be nice for all of us to dig deeper and see how we are unique. I think it might give us ‘pause’ in our criticism or instruction when we see someone else processing differently
What you need to do
First, let’s build a foundation. It will only take 10 minutes a day. No longer. please.
If you have someone who will work with you and point out what is happening that would be great. If not, just record yourself on your cell phone and critique it later.
I will give you a little check list of what to look for.
Be careful though. Your brain is doing massive exercise even though you don’t feel it. Don’t overdo it. Don’t drive for a short time after the exercise.
I must say, that despite the research I’ve done and the knowledge that I’ve acquired,
I still,
at times,
find myself in a room waiting for the ‘tape to go around’
so that I will remember why I’m standing there with something in my hand.
That’s normal – not early-onset anything.
Thinking it is some sort of red flag will only exacerbate the anxiety or exhaustion
or the reason why you are on autopilot.
I have a theory that explains why the right or left brain seems to be more active in our daily lives.
It has to do with the speed at which our brain functions.
Beta waves – strongly engaged mind (left brain)
Alpha state – resting, drawing, enjoying a garden (right side of the brain).
Theta waves – daydream
There are more, but these are the basic speeds most easily controlled
Unfortunately, if our brain is running on beta and it is midnight, we can’t fall asleep. If we are tired and in theta mode and have to sit through SAT’s, – not a good scenario – our minds just won’t engage.
But, what if we could force our brains, by doing some little activity, to function at various speeds?
Like anything, each of our brains has a comfortable pace and the brain tends to go back to that throughout the day. It’s like brain metabolism. It resets itself, which is why some of us are right-brained and some of us are left-brained.
For the next emails, we will do simple things that we all know how to do, (trust me, no surprises or heavy exercises) but when you slowly layer a simple activity on top of another simple activity, the brain sees it as more complex and the two sides of the brain start to vie for dominance. That’s when the magic happens.
Give it a try. You have nothing to lose and when you start to see results, you won’t want to stop. Again, just don’t drive immediately after doing your 10-minute exercise. Your brain will still be exercising.