Thoughts

Have you ever had one of those days where a million thoughts were racing through your mind at the same time? I’m having one of those days today.

I’m the type of person that likes to keep my mind busy. I always have several projects going on at the same time. Sometimes ideas just pop into my head. My problem is I never know which thoughts or ideas to pursue.

Take this morning’s blog for example. I had several ideas about which to write, but I was having trouble discerning which idea was the most prevalent. After sitting at the keyboard for several minutes with my fingers anxiously waiting for my brain to make up its mind, I decided to write about how our minds are pulled in so many different directions and how to choose which path to follow.

Our minds are amazing things. They not only control most of what goes on in our bodies, but they’re much more capable than we actually realize or actually use. I’ve heard percentages thrown around about how much of our brains we actually use, but the most common number heard is 10%.

I went to my trusted (okay, sometimes trusted) friend, ChatGPT, to find out how much of our brains we actually use. It turns out that 10% number is a myth. According to ChatGPT, during the course of a day, we’ll actually use 100% of our brain, just not at the same time. Different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, such as movement, vision, hearing, memory, emotions and reasoning. Even while we’re sleeping, our brains are active consolidating memories and managing bodily functions.

Turns out that phrase “let me sleep on it” makes sense!

I was amazed, yet somewhat disappointed to hear we actually use 100% of our brains. Here I thought I had an additional 90% left to tap. What I learned, however, was while we already use our whole brain, there are still ways to enhance how effectively we use it. We can use our brains for:

1. Cognitive Training: Activities like learning a new skill or language, problem-solving, and engaging in creative tasks can improve cognitive abilities.
2. Exercise: Physical activity boosts brain function by increasing blood flow and stimulating the production of new neurons.
3. Mindfulness: Practices like meditation can improve focus, reduce stress, and increase gray matter density in areas associated with learning and memory.
4. Healthy Lifestyle: Proper nutrition, sufficient sleep, and mental stimulation all support optimal brain function.

So, instead of tapping into an unused portion of your brain, you can focus on optimizing how well you use your brain. Turns out all those ads that keep popping up on your phone or tablet for games claiming to help your brain may actually do some good. Of course, moderation in everything must apply.

Knowing now how my brain functions, how do I use it to whittle down the millions of thoughts or ideas I get to a manageable two or three? I use the following four methods:

1. I start by thanking God for all of the thoughts and ideas He has given me and ask for His help in guiding me to the ones that are the most important.
2. I try to sort the thoughts and ideas into positive and negative buckets. That way I can focus on the positive thoughts and ideas and easily discard the negative ones.
3. I try to feel out which of the thoughts and ideas mean the most or are of most importance to me.
4. I try to determine if pursuing any of those thoughts or ideas will help someone else.

Even before I learned I had Myasthenia Gravis, I tried to keep my mind active. It’s even more important now. Our minds can too easily fall into the trap of wallowing in negativity or self-pity. Keeping our minds busy working on positive things helps us get past that. Working on the positive also plays an important role in determining whether you have MG or if MG has you.

Instead of lamenting about how busy your mind is with all the thoughts and ideas I get, I actually am grateful for them and I’m learning how to process them more efficiently. Like this blog, for example. In writing it, I’m blessed with the opportunity to put some of those thoughts and ideas to good use. Best of all, from the many comments I receive, I know I’m helping others in the process.

I often encourage you in my blogs to stay active. That includes your mind. Don’t allow yourself to focus on negative thoughts or self-pity. Focus your thoughts and ideas on how they can make a difference in your life or the lives of others.

Stay strong!