Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience.
Our brains are truly extraordinary, unlike computers, which always get a software update and have the same hardware, our brains can change the hardware as well. Different pathways are created and are discarded, according to our experiences. By stimulating our brain learning something new we create new connections between our neurons and actually change the brain's physical appearance.“One could speculate that this process opens up the possibility to reinvent yourself and move away from the status quo or to overcome past traumatic events that evoke anxiety and stress. Hardwired fear-based memories often lead to avoidance behaviors that can hold you back from living your life to the fullest.”
We can make permanent, significant changes to our brain structure and function through simple activities that we often do during a day.
Some of my favourite methods to increase your neuroplasticity:
Learn a new language
Learning a language at any stage of life could help slow down future decline related to age, including symptoms
of dementia.
One 2012 study found evidence to support the idea that picking up a new language increases grey matter density
and neuroplasticity.
Besides, it can lead to stronger problem-solving and creative thinking skills, improve your vocabulary and
increase your ability to multitask.
And the most important thing is to be consistent. You can spend only 10-15 minutes a day, every day and it will
pay off eventually.
Play video games
You can see improvements in such areas as motor coordination, memory and reaction time, decision making,problem-solving skills and cooperation just by playing games! When you play video games, you teach your brain new skills. They teach you to recover from failure and can help you get better at bouncing back from setbacks.
Looking for different solutions to a task in a game can help enhance creative thinking, just like coding! There’s heaps of websites that let you learn code through a game.
Exercise
Exercising not only improves your health and fitness but also it can lead to improvements in cognitive abilities like learning and memory. It helps promote increased blood flow and cell growth in the brain, which reduces depression symptoms. Regular exercise also improve your sleep.
Neuroplasticity is triggered by deep focus, but neuroplasticity occurs during deep rest and sleep.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset means that you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed—so if you’re not good at something, you might believe you’ll never be good at it.
For example, I always thought I was bad at writing and I still am. The only thing that changed is my realisation of why I’m bad at it. And the reason for it is a fixed mindset. Because I believed all my life that I had no talent for writing I never spent as much time as I should've, writing and reading. This led to weak neuron connections in those areas. But now I know that if I write a little bit everyday it can lead to big improvements and all it takes is practice and belief that I can do it.
And it’s not only writing, once you realise the essence of neuroplasticity and growth mindset it can change your life tremendously. Every time I get stuck on a tech problem or it’s time to write a blog I just take a deep breath and say to myself that I can do it, ideally within the timeframe, that’s never the case. Anyway, these are the little steps that change the mind and help me become a better version of myself.