Neuroplasticity simply put, refers to your brain's ability to repair its pathways after damage. Damage could include physical or emotional injuries. According to www.medicinenet.com neuroplasticity is:
"The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment."
As we go through life and have different traumatic events occur in our lives (death of a loved one, broken heart, financial ruin, job loss, death of a pet, etc.), each event creates damage in our brain. The damage is about loss, disappointment, emotional hurt, rejection, upset, etc. The traumatic event creates stressor, emotional responses, worry, anxiety, grief and so many other negative emotional responses.
When you go through those situations in life, you do not always have the time or the ability to process the emotions. Many times, out of necessity to carry on, those emotional upsets get buried deep within a person. Hoping one day to be to process all that has happened; however, before you get to do that another traumatic event comes along. Think of when a loved one passes away. The family goes into "automatic action mode" getting organized to deal with the funeral home, make arrangements for a celebration of life, dealing with the loved one's immediate responsibilities (rent, bills, commitments), etc. Very little time is given off work to address these areas, so very little time is allowed for coping. Most of the time is about "doing" and getting all the paperwork and processes completed before everyone has to get back to work.
As your ability to cope lessens and lessens, your ability to take on life's normal challenges gets harder and harder. By not consciously processing past upsets, traumas or injuries one now has very little neuroplasticity "wiggle room" to be able to cope with the new challenges.
As time goes on and people's coping gets worse because everything continues to be surpressed. Illness and disease will start to appear as the stress of life over flows into the body and starts to show itself in physical ailments. It might show up as lower back pain, or stomach aches, stress knots in your shoulders, or tightness in one's chest, headaches, or difficulty breathing, etc.
This only adds to the burden of life and the inability to cope. Eventually their upsets and past traumas won't be suppressible any longer. Eventually the internal stresses and upsets will start to bubble over into life's other areas. Maybe to drown out the problems and lack of coping, negative coping methods may be entertained (drugs or alcohol).
It is a downward slope, easily turned around by having the courage to process past traumas consciously. By processing those events you can ask yourself what is the purpose of hanging onto this fear or anger or worry or resentment? Who is it serving? Come to acceptance that it is what it is. You can then, in a logical manner, let those past traumas go, releasing them into the universe and increasing your neuroplasticity in the brain.
More neuroplasticity in your brain = increased ability to heal from past traumas = increased ability to cope with existing challenges and new traumas that may arise.
Taking time to learn what type of coping method works best for you is key. Your brain heals through quiet, reflective processing. Without the quiet, there isn't any reflective and thus no healing.
Some options for coping that will help to increase your neuroplasticity in your brain and improve your mood and energy levels are:
Quiet Your Mind & Relaxation
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Reiki
Process Issues Consciously
- Reiki
- Access Consciousness - Access Bars
- Tapping (EFT)
Movement & Grounding
- Tai Chi
- QiGong
- Yoga
- Walking in Nature
- Standing Barefoot in Your Backyard
- Deep Breathing
- Carry grounding crystals
- Donna Eden's Energy Medicine Routine on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di5Ua44iuXc
By continually trying to find ways to process issues as they pop into our heads, and then letting them go, we will start to increase the neuroplasticity in our brains.
Once we feel we have increased our neuroplasticity in our brains and our coping has improved, we just need to maintain it through the processes listed above:
- Quieting Your Mind
- Process Issues Consciously
- Movement & Stay Grounded