Do You Think about Thinking?
Posted on March 04, 2023 by Dan O'Rourke, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.
Learn more about the powers of the brain, how to optimize it, how to nourish it, and how to give it a break by reading my new blog.
Do You Think about Thinking?
Henry Ford stated, “thinking is the hardest work there is which is a probable reason so few people engage in it.”
Metacognition is a fancy word that can essentially be defined as “thinking about thinking.” But think about this (see what I did there?) – we have approximately 50,000-75,000 thoughts per day; roughly 90% are the same as the day before and 80% are negative. Did you realize that you may have tens of thousands of negative thoughts each day?
Many of our negative thoughts, however, are nothing short of lies we sell ourselves, inaccurate, unproductive, and unnecessary, so it’s important to take the time and make the effort to talk back to yourself when you experience them. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Practice positive self-talk, and begin the second you wake up – it can be a game (and mind) changer!
We make about 35,000 decisions a day, but nearly 50% of our decisions are made on autopilot (without really thinking about them) – ever have a time where you drove somewhere only to arrive at your destination and forget most of your drive?
Most of us do not take enough time (or make the effort) to control our thoughts. Winston Churchill claimed, “the price of greatness is responsibility over each of your thoughts.” So, it’s up to us to take the responsibility over the thoughts in which we have control.
Human brains are incredibly complex systems, and we are learning more and more about the power of them. One of the more interesting concepts is the fact that our brains are like muscles and can grow through a process known as neuroplasticity. Our brains have over 80 billion neurons and the ability to form new neural pathways. But to do so we must “exercise” them like a muscle. One of the best ways is reading. Find an interesting topic or a book where you can learn something new. Or, while you drive, listen to podcasts that help you learn new knowledge or skills.
But with all of the abilities of our brains, we also need to give them a rest. We consume more information than ever before. Think about this – imagine our relatives 200 years ago – they had a small fraction of the amount of information processing through their minds or at their fingertips as we do. We are constantly consuming real-time information, from news, to social media, to data and statistics.
The human brain wasn’t designed to consume what we do now. So give it a break, protect it, and nourish it. Here are some simple tips:
- Eat healthy foods to nourish and optimize your brain – things such as dark chocolate, olive oil, avocados, berries, leafy greens, eggs, fish, and nuts. Avoid foods that lead to inflammation and oxidative stress (e.g., ultra-processed foods made in a factory and foods with excess sugar).
-Exercise – there are many brain benefits from exercising such as the release of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which some researchers refer to as miracle grow for the brain.
-Meditate (it can be hard, but worth it). I was skeptical at first, but found ways to make it work!
-Make quiet time each day – even for a few minutes.
-Put down the phone (and don’t look at it for the first 30 minutes of each day).
-Enjoy nature (take in beautiful surroundings).
-Prioritize sleep – give your brain a rest and let your internal cleansing system do its thing.
-Play relaxing music or particular songs that give you joy.
-Take a few deep breaths with intention.
-Count your blessings.
-Give yourself permission to practice self care of the mind, body, and spirit.
