Dr. Amen lives with 12 brain-health principles, and this 4 is a standout. <ul><li>First: The brain is malleable, which eases cognitive function.</li><li>Second: It’s involved in everything we do and central to our overall health. </li><li>Third: It’s self-directed, meaning it has a degree of control over its function. </li><li>Fourth: It can bounce back from injuries or diseases with proper intervention.</li></ul>

Key formulas for brain health 

Your brain is the organ of your personality, character, andintelligence and is heavily involved in making you who you are

From the psychological circle, we need to see stress management, cognitive stimulation, and mental health support. Social circle, like building and maintaining strong connection, is crucial for brain health. From a spiritual circle, it involves having a purpose and meaning in life. So, every time you meditate, pray, or do some good deeds, it supports your brain health.

In this book, Dr. Amen explains how brain imaging technology can affect our health and wellness, along with the principles of brain health and different brain systems.

Have you admired someone else’s success and wished you had their brains? This “brain envy” is the idea that we can aspire to brain health and work toward achieving it for ourselves.

Brain Envy: Good fuel

Brain imaging technology, SPECT or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, enables us to understand blood flow and activity patterns in the brain. This information is associated with various mental health conditions. According to Dr. Amen, this imaging brain will enable targeted treatments that could make a difference.

How brain imaging can changes everything

There are three main brain systems: the limbic, the basal ganglia, and the prefrontal cortex.<ul><li>The Limbic is responsible for emotional responses. When w experience fear or pleasure, the hippocampus and amygdala activate our emotional experience.</li><li>The basal ganglia are responsible to learn new skills and how we can move. This system helps us develop the muscle memory necessary to perform the task automatically later.</li></ul>

Know your brain

<ul><li>The prefrontal cortex is the CEO of all brain functions. This part governs higher-order cognitive functions like decision-making, problem-solving, and planning. Our cognitive abilities decline when the prefrontal cortex is exposed to stress and aging.</li><li>There’s also the anterior cingulate gyrus and the temporal lobes. One part keeps you adaptable, while the other rules your long-term memories, language, and social cues. With ACG imbalance, obsessive thoughts can emerge and wreak havoc on your peace of mind. Meanwhile, unbalanced temporal lobes can lead to emotional instability.</li></ul>

Eating better, developing more coordination-based exercises, making hobbies out of mind-stimulating, and enjoying positive and meaningful social connections are all among the important steps to increase your brain health.

Highly important note

This four circles approach to brain health will boost the performance holistically, through biological health, mental health, social connections, and spiritual fulfillment.<ul><li>Optimal exercise, nutrition, and sleep will improve your brain power.</li><li>15.000 steps daily will improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and stimulate new brain cells.</li><li>A healthy diet and good sleep can add to your glow.</li></ul>

The right diet can improve brain performance while striving for overall cognitive balance. Wonder why the right healthy diet is so important for brain health? It’s because of the unbreakable connection between the gut and the brain. Also, pay attention to any injuries you have ever had.

Hack your brainpower

How brains work still remains a mystery. That small size in our body can produce beautiful architecture and even explain the mystery of our galaxy. That’s why we need to take care of our brain health. 

BRAIN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT REALLY WORK In this breakthrough bestseller, you'll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. You're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Here are just a few of neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen's surprising--and effective--"brain prescriptions" that can help heal your brain and change your life: To Quell Anxiety and Panic: ¸  Use simple breathing techniques to immediately calm inner turmoil To Fight Depression: ¸  Learn how to kill ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) To Curb Anger: ¸  Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the nutrients that calm rage To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus: ¸  Develop total focus with the "One-Page Miracle" To Stop Obsessive Worrying: ¸  Follow the "get unstuck" writing exercise and learn other problem-solving exercises

Similar ideas

Weekly Compass

The State Of Digital Flourishing

Emotional weight