Do you ever give much "thought" to your brain?
We all accept that we have one.
It is a large mass which we can`t see, and is encapsulated in a bony covering known as the skull.
We know that it is a very important part of the body, as any injury to it causes alarm bells to ring. In fact, damage to the brain is seen as severe, and perhaps life threatening.
However, asked about the properties of the brain, and what it actually does, very few people will be able to explain, other than to say that the brain is responsible for us being clever or not so clever!
Up until recent times,scientists and the medical profession, had a traditionally limited view of the brain, and because of its shape, and inaccessibility, research was slow.
However, with advanced technology and testing, it has been possible to carry out some amazing research with pretty outstanding results.
The brain is divided into two. A right and left side known as hemispheres.Very simply put, the right side of the brain is the creative side and is responsible for operating the left side of the body. The left hemisphere is the logical side,and operates the right side of the body.
There are other areas within the hemispheres each with a specific role to play.
In total, the brain is responsible for sending signals to every part of the body, and its particular function.
The body is not just made up of organs such as the stomach and heart, but bones, ligaments, cells, fluids, skin, hair and blood vessels to name but a few. All of these have a purpose. Many have several, and may use hormones, chemicals and electrical impulses to operate efficiently. The brain is responsible for activating and managing all of them.
It is the equivalent of a vast computer, and it is only now that we are finding out some the amazing things that it can do.
The brain is made up of neurons, which are specialized cells which constantly send out electrical and chemical signals via messengers called axons. 
It used to be thought that the brain stopped growing at a certain age, and if a part of the brain was damaged, it was irreparable, and the person would be left with a permanent deficiency of whatever that part of the brain could do.
Now, it is understood that the neurons can be encouraged to grow again, therefore returning the brain to partial or full fitness.This is known as neuroplasticity and has enormous potential for furthering brain research into brain diseases such as dementia and Parkinsons Disease.
It now seems that the brain continues to produce neurons throughout life, but is more active at some stages than others.
As our lives are bombarded by so many types of stimuli, it is hard for the brain to process everything at once. It doesn`t get a chance to switch off, and so our bodies get stressed and full of anxiety.
Before the use of so much technology, we had a fairly simple system of seeing a task in front of us, making a decision on how to tackle it, taking a learned skill which usually involved hand dexterity, implementing it, and completing the task. It was a long way of doing it, but it had a beginning, a middle part and a conclusion, and the brain liked that.
With so much amazing technology, we now have huge amounts of information to process, which is too much to do the old way. We now rely on machines to carry out the processes for us, so memory and dexterity skills may not be required. This is obviously faster and more efficient, but may deprive our human satisfaction when carrying out the task, as we didn`t require to think it through.
No doubt this will become more apparent with the increase in AI.
The one thing that we are aware of are our thoughts. We have thousands of them every day. There are good ones and bad, happy and sad, calm and anxious ones, some we think of every day, and some are from the past or for the future.
Thoughts are produced in the brain, and are nothing more than a series of mental pictures which are generated by ourselves. They last for only seconds, but can have a profound effect.
They are linked to moods and emotions, which are also produced by the brain, and depending on how we are feeling, we will produce appropriate thoughts.
Many of our thoughts have been with us for a very long time. So long in fact, that they are known as beliefs. We barely know that they are there, but they have been lurking around since they were put there, possibly in childhood, and were related to the lifestyle, upbringing and social norms of the time. They could have been passed on verbally, or just absorbed by habit and surroundings.
These thoughts can have a very significant effect, as they dictate how we react to certain triggers. We may not know why, but whether we realize it or not, we are reacting to a belief. It could be how we perceive authority, certain lifestyles, or our own abilities. There may or may not be good justification for this, but it is always there and makes itself known in certain situations.Depending on how relevant the belief is, it may be having a negative effect on current lifestyle.
The thing to realize is that it is possible to get rid of the belief and replace it with a different, more appropriate mindset.
It may sound easier said than done, but is perfectly possible, however the decision must be made to make the changes required, and to see it through.
It requires commitment and understanding, and possibly a bit of help.
If the trigger can be identified and isolated, it can be looked at, and a decision made as to what caused the belief.
It may have been something that was said at school, which had a great deal of emotional effect at the time, but looking at it now as an adult, it can be put into perspective, find reasons why it happened and replace the belief with more appropriate thoughts. The original ones should disappear, but it does take work and focus.
It may have been something that has affected a whole life time , and had a negative effect in certain situations, but having the courage to face it, and look at it realistically, it may be found that years have been needlessly wasted, hanging on to a pointless collection of thoughts.
Most of us have heard of Mindfulness, which is a very useful way of focusing on the present through simple meditation, and blocking out any distractions such as past issues, resulting in a more grown up, optimistic outlook.
It is a very useful practice to manage, and can have excellent results in calming anxiety.
Neuroplasticity, opens up a whole new world of brain management.
The power of the brain to regenerate has huge implications for mental health.
Thoughts can be redirected, and replaced by different ones, giving a more beneficial outcome.
This can be particularly useful in the case of anxiety and depression, where certain thoughts perpetuate certain feelings. If these can be replaced by regenerating neurons, then moods and emotions can be changed.
We all know that like attracts like, so dark negative thoughts attract the same. Changing these to lighter more acceptable ones is the object of the exercise.
There are some fascinating studies going on which show that we are literally at the tip of the iceberg regarding the capabilities of the brain. It is all very complex and scientific, but suffice to say, there are things we can do ourselves to retrain our brainpower which can help us survive in the over stimulated world in which we live.
