Are You Using It or Losing It?
As we age our brains really step into an accelerated “use it or lose it” functionality. It’s so nourishing to occupy yourself with topics that walk hand in hand with your passion in life and even more satiating when that action leads to the end result of whatever you are intending.
Given the opportunity for mental activity, our brains produce new neurons throughout our lifetime and aside from lifestyle and toxicity, we get to “use it” vs. “lose it”. Yay!
We are constantly exposed to the toxins or habits that contribute to the “lose it” portion, but this is more of a celebration of how great it feels to”use it”!
With that said, there are 7 traditional styles of learning and each uses different areas of the brain. They are:
Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
At the back of the brain, the occipital and parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.
Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
The temporal lobes handle aural content. The right temporal lobe is especially important for music.
Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
The temporal and frontal lobes have two specialized areas in the left hemisphere
Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
The cerebellum and the motor cortex (at the back of the frontal lobe) handle much of our physical movement.
Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
The parietal lobes, especially the left side, drive our logical thinking.
Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of our social activities. The limbic system (not shown apart from the hippocampus) also influences both the social and solitary styles. The limbic system has a lot to do with emotions, moods and aggression.
Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.
The frontal and parietal lobes, and the limbic system, are also active with this style.
As my contribution to my using it portion, before I lose it, I have chosen to engage my brain in the focused act of learning, revisiting and adding to my current knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology to further my education and business. This has truly sparked a ripple of remembering why connecting the dots to information I already knew or was exposed to previously is such a different experience and pleasure more so at this age, although time consuming and thought-provoking. The benefits of choosing to take on any brainy neuron producing activities can only make you feel good, boost your knowledge, boost your confidence and bring about a general sense of purpose and functionality. Pretty Awesome!
This is baring its bones of reaffirming just how much I truly enjoy working with people and feel excited over the possibilities that assist them to connect the dots in their lives in a way that makes sense to them while incorporating my understanding and knowledge of Energy Work, Visual Diagnosis, Dream Analysis, Psychology, Holistic Health and Intuitive Practices.
So grateful to have the freedom of choice to stimulate my brain, improve my memory and peak my interest for what is an innate gift and desire in my life. Clearly this is just a tiny snippet of Neuron life, but interesting nonetheless!
I’ll leave you with this thought by Dr. Merzenich, Professor Emeritus at the University of California:
Use It or Lose It –
“It’s simple in concept. The brain changes physically, functionally, and chemically, as you acquire an ability or as you improve an ability. You know this instinctively. Something must be changing as your brain advances, as it progresses.
Actually what it is doing is changing the local wiring, changing the details of how it’s connected. It’s also changing itself in other ways, physically, functionally, and those changes account for that improvement, or account for the acquisition of an ability.
You don’t realize it but as you acquire an ability – let’s say, the ability to read – you actually create a system in the brain that does not exist, or that’s not in place, in the non-reader. It [the ability] actually evolves in the brain.”
Use or Lose it! YOU choose how, when, what, where and be open to why the opportunities appear because the likelihood that they showed in the first place was a gift! Pay attention!
Cheers to Celebration of the Brain and New Neurons!
xo Jules
Sources: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/09/brain-plasticity.aspx
