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Your Brain & Positive Thinking

The power of positive thinking is all the rage right now.  From elite athletes and entrepreneurs, to teachers and students in the classroom, everyone is trying to gain an extra edge over stress.

Positive thinking, researchers claim, can help reduce stress, increase performance and success, and even increase health and happiness.

Except that it doesn’t—at least not if you don’t address what actually allows you to think positively in the first place.

Let me explain…

In January, I read a book titled Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.  In the book, he talks a lot about what it takes to become mentally tough and push yourself further and further.

I was so fired up after reading the book.  I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going to think positive in my workouts…push myself harder and harder in the gym, and become a super human like him”

The problem was….I didn’t.

I was fired up over this book, like MANY people that I know…and sure enough, most of them haven’t implemented squat from it.

There’s nothing wrong with being positive or trying to be more mindful in a given situation.

Just like any practice, the more you do it…the better you’ll get at it (in theory).

Here’s the reality though, just like when I read the book in January. I was spinning my wheels with my quick pump up from the David Goggins read.

I’m sure you’ve felt this way.  You start a new routine only to have the fire and excitement of it fizzle out in a short time.

…I’m all in on this diet, until the birthday party with cupcakes comes up and you decide to just have one

…I’m all in on working out 5x per week, until work gets too busy and derails your meal planning.

…I’m done overeating, until the stresses of the week have you craving a burger and fries.

These struggles don’t have to exist.  Staying positive and keeping your momentum when it gets tough to keep your promises to yourself can be infinitely strengthened by stimulating a very specific part of your brain.

We’ve been told that if we just think positive then we can change our brains, change how our body reacts to stress, and increase our health and happiness.

And while positive thinking alone may get you some results, if you don’t address the brain in the process, it would be much like going to a gym that only has plastic weights that only look like the real weights.

Only lifting plastic weights, you’re probably not going to get much stronger.

The same is true with your brain.

Positive thinking and mindfulness are great. Having positive thoughts can only be amplified though, by having the BRAIN capacity to control the thoughts you have.

That brain capacity comes from stimulating a very specific part of your brain through our process here at Nexus Family Chiropractic.

Researchers Hansel and Kanel found in 2008 that:

  • The area of the brain responsible for your ability to regulate stress, fear, and negative emotions is known as the vmPFC (Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex)
  • vmPFC is associated with suppression of responses to negative emotional signals
  • Increased activity of the vmPFC is responsible for rest & sleep, control over stressful situations, ability to turn off things that you’ve previously been scared of
  • When activity of the vmPFC is decreased, PTSD, depression and weak motor activity are noted

This part of the brain is responsible for keeping you relaxed, helping you maintain a positive attitude in stressful situations, giving you better concentration, giving you better coordination, giving you better memory and increasing your sense of well-being.

Our process can directly stimulate this part of the brain, giving you the unshakeable certainty, decreasing feelings of being stressed out and allow you to make decisions at a much higher level.

Want to know more?

Share this blog up with someone you know may be interested and reach out to us and schedule your no cost consultation today.

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