How do YOU control brain activity?

My last few months have been challenging—especially in the area of controlling what I allow to run around in my head. I’ve wondered why it is so difficult to remember and practice what I know to be true—what I tell you: “We have 100% control of our thoughts, and thoughts control our feelings and therefore our behavior. If we don’t like how we feel or what we are doing, we need an extended visit with our brains.”

One thing my son said that helps is, “It sounds like a “first-world” problem.” My friend, Google, explained, “Countries that are part of the “third-world” are generally characterized by (1) high rates of poverty, (2) economic and/or political instability, and (3) high mortality rates.” I sometimes wonder if America leans toward those statistics, but I still have water, food, and a roof over my head. I don’t have people shooting guns at me, and if I make good health choices, I have the opportunity to live a long life full of what I enjoy. My problems, indeed, are “first-world.”

Something else that helps my brain stay on a solid path of “Okayism” is mindful eating. Our first-world lifestyle has gifted us abundance—fast, fried, sugar-filled, and processed. Even undesirable sprays coat fruits and vegetables, and processing removes nutrition from whole grains. Food choices, more than I like to admit, help me rid the space between my ears of stinkin’ thinkin’.

Moving my body is a must for keeping my thoughts out of the black hole. I like to walk, walk, and walk some more. I use bad weather as reasoning to drive my car, but it is only a weak excuse. I’m not a workout in the gym sort, but walking is easy, natural, and effective.

Losing myself in projects also gives my worries a rest. This week I did a pastel drawing of my dad and granddaughter and edited a friend’s book. I didn’t have time to stew and fret because I was mentally, physically, and emotionally involved in planning, preparing, and performing. There is excellent value and satisfaction in moving an idea to completion. A project puts me in a noticeably healthier space.

Now, if I would practice what I write, I would sleep sounder, have more ambition, make wiser choices, and increase my odds of strolling a sunlit path instead of treading floodwater.

I am responsible for how life’s challenges, those events I do not control, affect my outlook—the magic potion or arsenic in the tea.

What works for me might not help you at all. It is important to know thyself.

How do YOU control brain activity?

Until the next time: Live while you live.