by Kay Cooke | Jun 1, 2022 | be well, mental health
Did you know that some of the world’s greatest genius minds have all shared a certain characteristic – a technique that is totally natural and easy to practise and we’d like to share this with you as you begin to use your mind to get the results you want.
History books and journals have recorded how each of these geniuses used their unconscious minds to nurture ‘whole brain’ thinking and used one technique.
The technique is called visualisation and it encourages ‘whole brain’ genius thinking by stimulating the underused right hemisphere. Perhaps you’ve already heard that Einstein ‘dreamed’ his theory of relativity when he visualised himself riding a beam of light around the universe!
Nikola Tesla’s 19th-century discovery of alternating current begins like most typical invention stories. He scrutinized the theories, the mechanics, and every minute detail. Finally, he built the first motor, and then allowed it to run continuously for three months. What is remarkable about Tesla is that the AC model he built and tested for three months was inside his head! When he finally was ready to build his first physical prototype, it worked without fail. As he knew it would — thanks to visualization.
Tiger Woods first visualised winning the Masters at age 12 and still uses this technique today.
Team GB’s Olympic success in 2008 has been largely credited to the practise of visualisation that many sports coaches have become trained in.
And the list goes on with people such as Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan, Winston Churchill, Beethoven, Napoleon, Carl Lewis, Jack Nicklaus, Alexander Graham Bell, and more!
So if I could show you a simple way to tap into this genius mind practice that explores the magical inner worlds, would you be interested?
Join our online guided mediation sessions Tuesdays at 8pm (UK):
https://thehappybrainco.com/product/mind-magic-meditation-online-single-session/
by Kay Cooke | May 3, 2022 | be well
Do you have an attitude for ‘how will I get through this?’ To summon determination so that you keep going until you get to the other side of something stressful.
That’s resilience. It’s training your brain to push through adversity rather than fold into helplessness when the going gets tough.
I consider myself pretty resilient and I’m tenacious in finding new ways to thrive, but I want to share with you a time when I was really tested to think out of the box and rapidly come up with a brand-new coping strategy. I was lying in the MRI scanner about to have my head and neck scanned.
“Soothing music?” they asked.
“Of course,” I replied, knowing how such music positively affects brainwaves.
“Here’s the panic button. Press it and we’ll get you out as quickly as possible”
“Oh, I won’t need that, I’m an accomplished meditator” my Hubris responded, after all I was making clear pictures of myself lying flat and relaxed.
And so, it began. I lay still, calm, and ready to remain relaxed.
But no sooner than the machine began its vibrating sound, my reptilian brain immediately shifted into a primitive fight/flight reaction.
No problem I thought, understanding that I just needed to adjust my autonomic nervous system reaction. So I aimed all attention on soothing basal brain through a calming breathing technique. But as visceral fear surged through me I panicked, pressed the button and they brought me out. I was unable to override a fearful amygdala.
Truly bemused, I tried again a few moments later. This time, I decided to activate my brain’s creative centres through visualisation of my happy place with full sensory association – an excellent way to switch on calm. But no, as cortisol and adrenaline misdirected my body, reptilian brain pressed the button again…
Damn it. Now I was cross and somewhat shocked at how my body and mind had stopped talking to each other.
Last chance. I could either validate the fear reaction and retreat into failure, or find a new solution. “This is your brain, drive it on purpose” I thought calmly and clearly.
“How else can you drive your brain through fear and get to beyond?”
I made a mental checklist of what hadn’t worked and searched for something different. Numbers! Maths! My sure way to zone out!
And so I began counting back from 500, out loud while visualising each number. It required intense concentration and I frequently had to start again whenever I lost that focus. But it worked, the strategy worked! I had pushed through adversity and discovered a new strategy. Learning through doing something different.
by Kay Cooke | Mar 31, 2022 | be well
In 1988 Professor Fritz Strack experimented with the perceived happiness of people when reading a cartoon.
Two groups read the same cartoon – one group had each to hold a pencil in their teeth without lips touching, the other group had to hold a pencil between their lips with no teeth contact.
Guess which group ‘felt’ happier?
Have you tried it yet?
Research shows that smiling releases feel-good neurochemicals and it triggers our social-emotional brain to respond positively. Smiles are contagious.
Enjoy this poem by Spike Milligan
Smiling Is Infectious
Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realised,
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth.
A single smile, just like mine,
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!
by Kay Cooke | Feb 28, 2022 | be well
When you’re talking to someone and they have a different opinion to you, what is your go-to response?
- Do you REJECT their beliefs and try to change their opinion to match yours?
- Do you ABSORB their beliefs and try to change your opinion to match theirs?
Or do you LEARN from that space between two evolving humans?
by Kay Cooke | Jan 31, 2022 | be well
Balance Body and Mind – how to do it!
Take ONE minute to bring yourself into physiological balance by sitting or standing as straight and tall as you can.
Straighten up through your mid-line and let your attention start at the top of your head and gently melt down through your spine to your tailbone. Are both shoulders as level as they can be? Look in a mirror to check the symmetry across your shoulders and collarbones.
Shift your body a little to bring balance to either side of your spine. Notice how it feels to tilt one shoulder or hip, and then re-balance.
Scan through your body for areas of softness and comfort, and rest in there for some moments.
Now shift attention to each of the following body parts in this order: head, shoulders, arms, hands, ribcage, spine, hips, thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles, feet.
Once balanced, your whole body and mind will work better.
Balancing your body helps you improve your emotional state, learning capability, and energy levels.
by Kay Cooke | Nov 29, 2021 | be well
According to a social media thread, a high school in America was faced with an unusual problem after a particular trend had formed amongst teenage girls. Each day a group of girls would visit the bathroom and decorate the large mirror with ‘kiss marks’ after putting on strong coloured lipstick and then pressing their lips to the mirror. It is said that every night, the janitor would remove the lipstick marks, only to find them replaced the next day!
The teachers tried all manner of interventions to stop the behaviour, to no avail. The girls were cautioned and scolded, pleaded with, and politely asked to stop. Nothing changed their behaviour.
Finally, the principal decided that something had to be done.
She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the janitor. She explained that the lip prints were causing a major problem for the poor guy who had to clean the mirrors every night, and to illustrate how difficult the mirror cleaning task was for him, she asked the janitor to demonstrate his efforts.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror!
It just goes to show that learning is expedited when the same language is spoken, and that behavioural change can happen in a heartbeat.
Top Tip! When you hear someone say change is hard/takes a long time/is difficult, share this story!
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