What you expose your brain to is very important. So if you are thinking about starting a blog right, you should read this. But if you want a sneak peek, check out the audio chapter of the book. I have written a book about Starting a Successful Blog which is free to read on Kindle Unlimited.
Writing and Blogging are difficult in these times. But sometimes, keeping on trying, helps me with writing. That’s why today you will hear about the organ responsible, which allows me to do diverse work. Did I tell you I am an ENT surgeon and I write and draw too? Subscribe here to follow along on my journey where I share about living healthy and making money writing.
The brain is the mastermind behind the working of all our systems. If your brain didn’t work right, it would cause a lot of problems. Nothing works well when there are problems with the brain.100 Billion nerves and their connections(synapses ) make up different functional areas of your brain.
Brain and your Mental Health
What is Mental health?
It’s a sumtotal of your emotional,social and psychological wellbeing.Your brain needs to be anatomically,physiologically and biochemically normal too.
Thought or Action? But what comes first? It may surprise you that both have an exciting way of working at the same time. The brain makes a decision, and you do it at almost the same time.
Are you a right-brained person or a left-brain?
Ideally, it would help if you were using all parts.The right brain or left brain either may dominate, but you need a balance of both to have a happy, healthy life.
The anatomical , physiological,functional brain health and mental health all work together . The brain is the heaviest and most complex organ.
The aspect of brain health called mental health makes your brain you. The human brain is the reason behind personality, intelligence, behavior, body movement, and senses. If all the other part of your body is one side, your brain is on the other side in terms of complexity. Even then, it’s not going to be a balance.
The brain has a group of experts. Each important working independently and also interacting with each other in layered manners.
The main parts of the brain are:
Forebrain -cerebrum
Midbrain
Hind brain-upper parts of the spinal cord, cerebellum.
The cerebrum or forebrain is divided into lobes
• frontal lobes problem solving, judgment, and motor function.
• parietal lobes sensation, handwriting, and body position.
• temporal lobes memory and hearing.
• occipital lobes brain’s visual processing system.
Brain cells are called neurons.There’s something called ganglion cells which support and helps provide nutrition. The cerebrospinal fluid is like a bath of nutrients that nourish the brain and protect it against injury.
In terms of exercising your brain, you need to be careful about the kind of work you make it do. Something which is challenging for you, like writing a story or poem, learning a new language, learning a new instrument, embroidery can help you rewire our brain.It’s a tool against dementia.
If you stop to think, that’s your brain working again. Your brain truly never stops. If it did, it would be catastrophic.
What it does is rest—a little at a time when you sleep.That’s why eight hours ofsleep is much needed for a healthy future.
You will hear people saying they function perfectly well with less sleep. But that’s just now; wait for the sleep deficit to catch up, then you will understand all about the ageing brain.
The best way to fight poor brain health and dementia is avoiding plaque-causing food and challenging your brain.
If it’s easy, it’s not a brain exercise.When you talk about wellbeing, it’s not just physical and social wellbeing but also mental wellbeing.
Things that keep you peaceful inside are the things that are good for our well-being. Both nature and nurture play a role.
What are the common problems which prevent wellbeing?
- Stress can be a problem for brain health too. Stress is famous for increasing the amount of age-related plaques in the brain.
- Substance abuse
- Smoking
- Sedentary habits
- Malnutrition
- HFSS food
- Poor quality of social interaction
- Poor environment
Brain protective and cardioprotective food are similar.
Is mental illness a problem of brain health?
Mental illness is related to neurological or biochemical dysfunction of the brain and needs timely diagnosis and long-term care. These are problems that should be treated only by expert professional Psychiatrists. It’s a complicated area and involves multiple factors.
Two exercises which are very good for your brain health and are easy to do are walking and gardening.
Is there any physical exercise that helps the brain?
In the book,Ikigai, the author’s research found that people who lived the longest with most functionality and agility ate the right food and walked and gardened every day.
They also took care to talk to their friends and neighbors. Positive social chit chat has a Neuroprotective effect!
Walking helps your brain too.
Green plants, even in pictures, have a calming effect abd helps to lower stress. A daily half-hour of gardening could be a big boost for your health overall but more so for mental health. The microbes around nature are also beneficial for our health in many ways.
Who knew.When my mom wants to know why I am learning Madhubani art?I tell her I am exercising my brain.
That’s what you should look towards, something difficult which you will enjoy mastering.
The education system previously was all about STEM education. I support it, but the additional A in STEAM is much needed. Thats why art in education can be a big help to learning.
Teach your children to express whatever they learn through a quick sketch or even a poem. Sometimes it will create strange art or funny poems. Whatever it is, it’s going to help them think outside the box. We need to raise innovative thinkers. Thats why only telling them to do stuff will no longer work. It’s all about walking the talk and leading by example.
I never knew I could do it, but I did create all this art since September 2020. If I can do it, anyone can do it—Thats what I believe. The best part, all art is beautiful. Sharing is fun but not essential. What’s important is you give your brain good exercise.
Diet and epigenetics:
Mental diseases have solid genetic correlations, but this role of the diet with epigenetics has opened up new research areas. Several innovative studies are pointing to the exciting possibility that the effects of diet on mental health can be transmitted across generations.
While I can’t force everyone to eat what I eat or take up a hobby, I can talk about my experience with drawing, painting, lettering all through 2020. It was one of the best ways to fight Corona fatigue.
It’s not yet over. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
That’s why I am also trying to write this blog post with a timer on. The editing will be done later, but sometimes even writing can be difficult when you overthink.
So stop overthinking and start doing. Keep your brain healthy. Now. The best time, with the perfect atmosphere, when the kids are fed, happy, educated, settled will come, but later. Your writing or art needs to escape before you forget how.
You can save your brain? It’s never too late to learn. Just Do it.
P.S If you are blogging in India, these tips will help you. You can also check out my Tools and resources for Blogging. It’s April I am writing for Blogchatter A to Z and also CauseAchatter about Mental health.
Other Resources you will like-
Diet and Depression https://healthwealthbridge.com/diet-and-depression/
Mental health for moms to be
