To Ana Ibanez –neuroscientist dedicated to training research and development cerebral for him high performance-, our experiences and thoughts are more important than imagined. Furthermore, he maintains that there are possible methods to reconfigure the neural connections and thus alleviate the stress and the anxiety.
The starting point in his theory, as he explained in the podcast Mi latido de Más and La Vanguardia replied: “We are the architects of our brain. Therefore, the most important thing is brain plasticity”.
“If we are aware of this, we can change our brain frequencies and, with it, how we feel and see the world.”
This idea, as Ibáñez pointed out, comes from the theory of the Nobel Prize in Medicine Santiago Ramon y Cajal. This Spanish doctor and scientist observed that the interactions between neurons are not fixed but adaptive, which is essential for the learning and the memory.
This anticipated that the brain is not static, but can change its structure and links throughout life. Something that contrasted with the dominant belief of early 20th century which established that the nervous system was rigid and immutable.
At the same time, Ibanez emphasizes that “our brain does not reach the speed that life demands of us today and operates from places of alert instead of prefrontal cortexwhich is the area that allows us to have perspective and reflection.”
Train the brain to reduce stress and anxiety
Regarding the two previous parameters, Ibanezas La Vanguardia replied, emphasizes the need to train the brain consciously. To do this, he provided a series of fundamental keys.
Keep our fuel
“If we want to connect with our prefrontal cortex -the part of the brain responsible for executive functions-, we need energy. Sleeping well, eating correctly and surrounding ourselves with environments that nourish us emotionally is key,” he stated.
We are not our brain
The La Vanguardia note highlights that this was one of the most revealing concepts of the interview: separate our identity from our brain allows you to better manage the colapso mental.
“When you feel blocked, instead of believing that it is a weakness, you should tell yourself: My brain is not giving me what I need for this situation. So, instead of feed stresswe can analyze what steps to take to unlock us”the neuroscientist suggested.
Take care of motivation
«Our brain It needs enthusiasm to function well. Without motivation, we stagnate,” summarized Ibáñez.
Good relationship between brain and heart
«Now we know that the electromagnetic field of the heart is thousands of times greater than that of the brain. This means that the heart absolutely mobilizes our brain«Ibáñez completed.
Specific techniques to optimize the brain
Ibanezon the one hand, highlights the benefits of meditation. “Induce alpha frequencieswhich generate calm and reduce the activation of the nuclei tonsilsresponsible for the alert. But if meditate It is not for you, there are other ways to induce this state, such as gardening, walking or listening to good music,” he indicated.
Furthermore, he highlighted that “the muscle movement has a direct impact on the brain. Forcing a smile, for example, can change our brain chemistry and improve mood.”
Escape from fear
“If we analyze any situation that distresses us, in the end what is behind it is fear: to fail, to not be enough, to not be loved. but we can train our brain to choose the amor and expansion instead of fear.» And he added: «You don’t have to wait until you are sick to take care of the brainbecause if we have a brain strong and flexible, you will be able to face everything better.”
