Listen to Learn About Your Brain with Free Talks and Videos from Braintime.com!
In the prior post, there are links to use to get a free trial of braintime or sign up for a half-year or year at discounts ! But What is Braintime? What is Going on in the Brain too? How can we learn more about 'what helps and what hurts' when it comes to learning or functioning so we feel as though we are in the driver's seat? Thinking of driving a car as similar to 'driving one's brain, thoughts and feelings, then we can see the importance of being more aware of where we are going and why, how we will be able to get there, what factors influence our success of doing what we feel we need or want to do over time and even one hour or minute to the next?
While we are always physically who we are, how we think and what we do or listen to or if we take time to rest or focus can make the brain function in different ways. Here are some ideas from "Your Brain and The Art of Learning." He has about a dozen talks for replay on the Braintime.com site with many free helpful teachings and tips about brain function with lifestyle, food and overall stages of life and various activities.
For good sleep for example, it's helpful to have a steady routine for sleeping and waking. If hormones are not balanced due to menopause or other bodily shifts there are impacts on sleep. There are special prograns for helping sleep.
Neurologist Jim Otis, the founder of Braintime.com offers 'brain-based ways to reduce anxiety' strategies in free talks and videos on the site Braintime.com. He says exercise is a helpful way to reduce stress because it causes and alteration between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (like accelerators and brakes in a system) in one's body. (I know I need to learn more about that too to have the infomration right at my finger tips!) The frontal lobes of the brain does executive functiions to help us learn and think about things. Exercise is healthy for the frontal lobes
. Focusing on one project and not having distractions when 'studying, learning or doing something.' All distractions (even pings from a phone etc) impact the function of the brain for a minute even if it's a brief one. Clarify for yourself and others what their motivation is when learning something. Remind oneself of the essence of what one is doing and list the facts about what one is learning. That can help one learn a topic or skill better. If one learns another language early in life that can create new pathways that will be beneficial over time. It's helpful to review what one has learned and re-learn things from when one was younger as well.
Reduce stress with deep breaths. Reduce social media and distractions. Help someone else learn what you are learning as you go. Teaching can help you learn things better. These guidelines are helpful for younger people, children or adults, whether in a formal class or activity or in general for oneself when mapping out one's day. At the end of the day mentally review from the beginning through the morning, afternoon, and evening. and maybe for more of a challenge, go back through one's day from the end back to the start.
Using braintime.com can be a helpful support. Remembering names for instance may be a challenge but it's important to focus on specific details once one sees a person or face. That can build repoire between the R and L sides of the brain. Getting exercise is very helpful and important for support in memory and brain function in general.
Sacrificing optimal sleep for any reason can decrease the learning one is trying to achieve (sleep helps one integrate one's studies.) It is really helpful to have regular sleep and exercise. Even 'standing at one's desk' or exercising, that can help improve brain activation for learning and cognitive function. Also listening to the sound enhancements from braintime is helpful.
To support motivation, limit distraction, help one focus and learn things parts of one's brain need to have good timing to be most effective. Which parts of your brain are 'talking to each others' or synchronizing or communication between different parts of your brain are all important.
The timing and sounds of the braintime.com programs enhances the interplay of all parts of the brain. If someone is ADHD then the Left side may be stronger (the more dominant sound.) It's okay to listen to braintime "Relax" while someone is doing some homework or having a backrub or doing an email. The 'Relax' program can be helpful to support one in such activities. Making a plan to listen to one talk a week (or more if on a roll) and to integrate the ideas into one's life is a good game plan! I will share more tips from the talks (and ask them to make summaries too and post on their site) to motivate more of us to 'plug in our brains and learn more about them!'
