Your brain may be the most complex computer in the universe, but its power isn’t constant. As with manufactured electronics, your mind and body can overwork and become depleted of energy. Fortunately, there are ways to energize yourself and avoid feeling stressed.
In an article published by Northwestern Medicine, Dr. Kapil Sachdeva explains that the average brain only weighs about three pounds. Yet, it’s one of the most singular marvels in the world. Sachdeva states that your brain is composed of approximately 86 billion neurons and one quadrillion connections.
Imagine the speed of some of the luxury cars across the globe. According to statistics published by The Measure of Things, a Peregrine Falcon car can reach speeds of 240 mph. Now, consider the fact that your brain can send and receive signals up to 260 mph. It’s little wonder that such extraordinary speeds would cause your brain the need to be recharged regularly.
In the past, some research suggested that the average person has about 70-80 thousand thoughts per day. However, a new study cited by IFLScience believes that you probably only have about 6,200 ideas each day. Even at the much lower number, it still means you’re generating about 4.3 thoughts per minute.
Stress: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Talk to just about anyone in your circle, and they’ll probably mention they’re stressed out. Perhaps, you also join the ranks of people across the nation who feel burnout. It’s a crisis that affects people regardless of their socioeconomic status.
A report published by the American Psychological Association states that three-fourths of the US population has stress-related symptoms each month. These include sleepless nights, anxiety, irritability, anger, and fatigue. Undue stress creates a negative effect on your entire well-being, and it could be life-threatening with time.
Good Stress
It’s difficult to classify any stress as beneficial, but some of it is. In fact, your brain reacts to stressors for survival. It’s known as a part of your survival reaction, fight, flight, or freeze. Early humans depended on this automatic reaction to survive in an often dark and dangerous environment in the prehistoric world.
Your survival reaction signals your brain to dump emergency hormones into your bloodstream immediately. This adrenaline and cortisol increase your strength and stamina in an instant to save your life. The reaction has sometimes enabled people to lift cars from a person who is trapped under them.
Life without some stress is impossible. Your brain uses good stress as a tool for learning and growing. In this sense, stress can help you. However, you can also have undue stress that wreaks havoc on your health.
Undue Stress
The same reaction meant to preserve your life from danger can also be a hazard to you. This instinct evolved to be used in an emergency and not perpetually. A constant flow of adrenaline and cortisol in your body can lead to disease, mental health problems, and conditions that can cost your life.
Ten Ways to Avoid Feeling Stress
Isn’t it frustrating when you try to make a call on your smartphone only to see that the battery needs recharging? The multitude of tasks and stress on your mind takes its toll on you. How can you renew your brain and break the cycle of anxious feelings?
It’s all about taking time for yourself and providing the rest you need and deserve. When you give your mind some respite each day, it will become a beneficial habit. Try these ten ways to energize your mind and lower unnecessary stress.
1. Create a Diversion When Feeling Stressed
Although your brain does go into rest and repair mode when you sleep, it’s still maintaining your vital functions. Due to the constant activity, your brain doesn’t fully rest. You can relax your body, but the only way to calm your mind is with diversion.
Determine each day to take a mental break to energize your brain. Do something fun and fulfilling. Find time to laugh or stretch your imagination. This welcome diversion will benefit your mind more than you know.
2. Spend Time With Family and Friends
Modern technological advances make connecting with people near and far a simple task. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when people may feel the most disconnected. Energize your mind and spirit by spending time with precious family and friends.
Surround yourself with positive folks who lift your spirits, inspire you, and make you laugh. They can provide a bright spot in your daily life when your stress levels are overflowing. Plus, your communication will be uplifting for them.
3. Take a Technology Break
Speaking of technology, you can have too much of a good thing. Most of each day, you’re surrounded by computers and mobile devices that are vying for your attention. Even when you’re relaxing, you depend on electronics to deliver your favorite movies, shows, and music.
If you want to energize your mind, plan to take a daily technology break. During family, mealtime is an excellent opportunity to shut off the phone and video games. Spend these cherished moments and have meaningful conversations with your family around the dinner table.
4. Reduce the Negative When Feeling Stressed
You can no more eliminate all the negative energy in your life than you can all the stress. While you can’t eliminate negativity, you can reduce its influence. You can also spend as little time as you can around energy-draining people.
When interacting with a bitter relative or a sour coworker, you needn’t partake of their drab outlook. Sometimes you need essential information from depressing news media outlets. After dealing with negativity, energize your brain with something positive.
5. Getting Past Your Past When You Are Feeling Burnout
Everyone has words and actions in their lives that are hurtful or shameful. Although your past is written in permanent ink, it doesn’t dictate the chapters of today or tomorrow. Living in the past is often a source of depression and negativity for many folks.
Energize your brain and cultivate a more vibrant present by closing the book on past failures, pain, and disappointment. Gratefully receive the lessons it taught you and leave them. Keep your eyes and your heart in the present, and you won’t stress about past problems.
6. Forget about Multitasking If When You’re Feeling Stressed
Multitasking is a modern buzzword that often appears as a personal strength on resumes and job applications. It’s the perceived ability to do several things at the same time. While you may view multitasking as efficient, it can also cause you to be overstressed and make foolish mistakes.
Instead, try to focus on one task at a time. Not only will your work be more accurate, but you won’t be as stressed. It will also be easier to energize your brain during breaks.
7. Practice Meditation If You Are Feeling Stressed
Although your brain likes to stay busy, it also needs some peaceful moments to reflect and energize. Spending as little as 20 minutes a day in meditation can keep you grounded and nourish you mentally and spiritually.
As you meditate comfortably in your sacred space, consider using visualizations or mantras to manifest positive energy. Your mind will get used to this daily break and will welcome it. Feel free to add candles, incense, or tranquil music if it helps you relax.
8. Challenge Your Brain
It seems counterintuitive to take your mind to a task when you’re trying to de-stress and revitalize. However, boredom is a great enemy of the brain, and it can also induce stress. Beat the boredom by challenging your brain every day.
Make it a habit of learning something new each day or solving a brain teaser. Keep crossword puzzles, sudokus, or other fun puzzles for a bit of a brain challenge. It will keep your mind more agile, and it can enhance your problem-solving skills.
9. Address Any Substance Abuse That Stem From Anxious Feelings and Stress
If your body and mind are overloaded with stress, it increases your anxiety level exponentially. Anxiety has many adverse effects, and your body naturally seeks to alleviate it. Many people temporarily mask their fear with substances that leads to addiction.
The masks of addiction are as varied as those who are addicted. It includes substances like alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Addiction to work, technology, or forbidden romance can also destroy your life and relationships.
After you awaken from the temporary high, your stress and anxious feelings are still there. Breaking the chains of addiction can bring healing to your body, mind, and spirit. If you battle addiction, get help.
10. Keep Your Body Healthy to Avoid Feeling Burnt Out
Do you want your brain to work at peak performance? Keeping your body healthy and robust adds many benefits to your brain. Enjoy a balanced diet of fresh whole foods and eliminate junk and processed items. Also, follow a daily exercise routine you custom-tailor to address your needs.
Final Thoughts on Energizing Your Brain
As with any computer or technical gadget, your brain needs to be recharged to run efficiently. By minimizing your stress and following some of these suggestions, you can revitalize your mind daily. It will bring you more clarity and a greater sense of accomplishment. And of course, it will help eliminate feeling stressed.
