Steemfit - Brain Training #1: How to connect the left and right half of your brain

How many brains do you have? I'm guessing you would answer with one, which technically is correct.. but I think of your brain not as one, but rather two halfs, left and right. The two halfs don't like each other, they are independent and compete with one another. You are the referee trying to mediate and balance out their presence...

Evolution is based on progress and progress is based on a learning process that takes place and the ability to recall a learned action. With humans it’s pretty much the same. Learning and memorizing are the fundamentals skills of everything you do and know how to do right? In the last couple of years, even when I was in high school there were a lot of ongoing studies that question the function of your brain. Is it simply a storage for information and why do some people learn better, faster, differently than others? 

We use terms like photographic memory to describe „the perfect memory“ which suggests that the brain’s function mainly serves the purpose of memorization to store knowledge and facts. The larger your storage of knowledge the better your brain functionality. This is at least what most people think and why school’s still teach in the same way for years.

OUR TWO BRAINS

In the western world the use of our left brain half is much more required and valued a lot higher. We are taught to think logical, solve analytical problems and think that way. We are called „smart“ when we know how to calculate with numbers and speak many languages. Our left half gets trained so much, that a lot of people lack training the right half, which is necessary in order to unfold your creativity and at best bring both together to create something great and live a better life. Do I exaggerate? I don’t think so.. because what determines your life more than your brain?.. 

It’s up to you to train both sides in a way that they can work in balance, since it’s the only way to reach the full potential of your brain. 

As far as I currently know, it’s not about how much you know, in order to recall something, but much more about connection, the bridges, images you place in your head that strengthen your memory. For some people it’s color association, for others it’s numbers, but I guess we all know ways in which we memorize something best.

I remember in class when somebody was holding an hour long presentation… I always thought..first of all your attention span is limited so that it is pretty much impossible for a normal brain to capture and remember all the information, but when writing down bullet points, maybe underlining with a colorful marker, creating a mind map etc. you will find it much easier to afterwards remember important information, that’s something we learn early in school.

It is said that people whose brain sides are well connected are able to act more successfully, creative, innovative, logical and are great decision makers as well as often succeed in life. Their brain halfs communicate together, so that systematic thinking (left brain) and intuition (right brain) are connected. This is for example why you sometimes get those brain waves and random inspiration when doing something totally different, which in conclusion means that your environment and activities are in strong correlation with your brain work and efficiency… obviously? Well here are some ways that help you connect your brains.

CONNECTING THE LEFT AND RIGHT HALF OF YOUR BRAIN

You can start to strengthen the connection of your brain halfs by adding some creativity to your monotonous work. For example when learning try the following:

- Mind Mapping (visualizes and structures „chaotic“ creative thoughts)

- Music (helps some people to concentrate and increase energy)

- Movement (go up and down, sit cross-legged, slide around)

Also here are 3 challenging exercises to master the skill of connected brain halfs:

1. Write your name

Take a paper and two pens, one pen in each hand at the same time. Sit down and now try to write you first name with both hands at the same time - left to right. If you manage to do that, you can go a step further by trying to write the same word from the middle to the outside: You left hand writes from the middle to the left and your right hand from the middle to the right. If done correctly, your right word is written normal and your left word mirrored. Sounds difficult, but just in the beginning. Once you got it, you’ll be astonished how easy it now is for you. 

2. Finger tapping

Put both of your hands on a desk. Start by synchronically tapping both of your thumps on the tabletop, then add your pointing fingers, middle-, ring- and pinkie fingers. Then repeat from the start. If it’s easy for you try going faster. Now stop and start with your right: First your right thump taps, then your left, then your right pointing finger, then your left… Go faster and try to keep a rhythm. You probably will find that some fingers work easier then others, simply because you use some more often on a daily basis and practice their use. Lastly try it with your eyes closed.

3. Turning

Stand up straight, your feet apart. Start spinning to your right, while you make draw circles in the opposite direction with your right hand. Now add you let hand, going in the opposite direction of your right. If you got that, try keep spinning your left hand, but stop your right hand. Your right hand now just opens and closes a fist. Stop spinning. Now change sides, repeat with the other direction. You turn around in the direction of your left shoulder, your left hand now draws circles to the right while your other hand goes up and down on your thigh.

These are 3 classic coordination exercises.

If you practice them daily and for quite a while, the higher your profit gets from these seemingly silly exercises…

HERE ARE 5 BENEFITS

1. Everyday tasks you will find easier to do, because your connection of sensory channels is higher. Also it helps you to cope with stressful situations: You don’t feel overstrained as quickly and able to handle more things at the same time, known as multitask. 
2. You feel safer when in a dark room or somewhere at night, because your spacial awareness is better
3. You practice balance and won’t trip, fall or run into things. When you’re tired and your concentration is weak you’ll be able to have a better overall coordination.
4. You practice patience and longterm accomplishment. By practicing the skills, getting better, figuring it out and achieving it, and finally finding it easy, you understand the process better of longterm thinking and the important skill of patience, needed to succeed in anything great.
5. My favorite benefit: your mental health! When you work with and train both of you brain halfs, you become more creative and capable of solving problems, finding solutions quicker than ever. It increases your mood and overall happiness.

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As always feel free to share your thoughts.. are you more right or left brained?

Much love

- Mrs.Steemit