I recently read that simply reading a book or magazine on a subject you know nothing about can help “reset” your brain.
The idea is that you get stuck in the same thinking patterns. This is true. Your brain develops pathways for your thoughts This makes processing thoughts more efficient.
It’s “good design” in so many ways.
The downside is that our thoughts become channeled through our brain’s passageways.
Think of it as your inner traffic cop.
But what if you need to turn right instead of going through a cerebral intersection? Well, you’re stuck. Your thoughts go where your brain directs them to go. This is nature’s way of enabling us to quickly process thoughts and actions without thinking…
Hmmm… without thinking? Okay, without “conscious” thinking.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this. After all, who am I to question how our brains were designed?
But, it does begin to limit us…
Routine is both our friend and our enemy. It helps us navigate many, many parts of our lives more efficiently. It can also get us stuck in a pattern that prevents us from learning and growing.
So, a simple way to hit your reset button is to consume information completely new to you.
New information that doesn’t fit one of your brain’s established pathways needs a new pathway.
Worth a try? Of course, there’s a lot of neuroscience to it. But, that’s essentially it. Keep consuming the same old, same old and you brain gets caught in the same old thinking loops. Keep mixing it up, you and your brain will create new pathways and new thinking.
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