Developing a Healthy Mind---Food for Thought

“When your brain is always engaged, when your neurons are always firing, when you find yourself in a continual mode of reacting and responding, instead of steering and directing, the best and brightest solutions that you are capable of producing rarely see the light of day.” Jeff Davidson


In an effort to try and combat an American epidemic of obesity, the US Government recently revised the healthy eating food pyramid. By taking a more mindful approach to our eating we can save future generations from a host of health challenges related to be obese.

There is however, just as big an epidemic of information overload that threatens both adult and children's ability to focus and maintain optimal mental health.

As a remedy to this problem, Dr. Dan Siegel, author of several books on mindfulness, and David Rock, a leading organizational consultant,  have teamed up to create what they call the Healthy Mind Platter. The platter consists of seven essential mental functions designed to provide your brain with the "mental nutrients" your brain needs for balance and integration. By engaging in these activities at least once every day, you can strengthen your inner connections and improve your social connections.

The seven activities are:

Focus Time---this involves taking on a challenge that requires our undivided attention. With a specific goal in mind and step by step achievement, focus time strengthens our left front critical thinking brain.

Play Time---just taking some time each day to engage in playful and creative activities increases the connections in our brain that lead to novelty and innovative ideas. This strengthens our right front brain that seeks novelty.

Connecting Time--Connecting with other people, preferably in person, strengthens our relationship circuitry.  Our ability to experience empathy and care for others is located in our right basal section of our brain.

Physical Time---Moving our bodies, especially in an aerobic way strengthens the part of our brain located in our left basal section. Exercise releases endorphins and gives us an outlet for the adventurous side of our brain.

Time In---In a world that is non-stop information, it behooves us to sit quietly and reflect on the here and now. This form of mindfulness is a key ingredient in integrating all the parts of the brain.

Down Time---The human mind needs time to just wander without specific goals or tasks to complete. It is all about just being with no set goals.

Sleep Time---The brain needs time to rest and recharge. While we sleep our brains are regenerating and releasing stress.

Each of us has a dominant thought process. Some prefer to seek novelty to the exclusion of all else. Others are driven to compete, while still others will serve others until they burn out. There is a high cost to over using any one function. The key to brain well-being is to use all the functions of our brain in some small way, thus avoiding excess drain on our dominant functions.

Take some time this week and include some time for each of these activities.

For more insight into your brain, order a Astro-Brain Dynamics report from my website.

Brain Boost: Enjoy a TED talk by Dr. Dan Siegel.