A short, first-person YouTube monologue (by Emily McDonald) giving three practical recommendations to protect brain health and mindset: avoid gossip and drama, avoid negative self-talk and self-criticism, and avoid frequent social media checks. Each tip is paired with a concise neuroscience-based rationale (e.g., amygdala vs prefrontal cortex interactions, stress/anxiety effects, and overstimulation reducing focus and creativity).
Here are three things that I avoid doing as a neuroscientist and brain coach to protect my brain and mindset. The first is gossip and drama. Being involved in gossip and drama reduces our ability to focus and think logically by increasing activity in the amygdala. And the amygdala is part of the emotional brain. The amygdala and prefrontal cortex are highly connected. So being negative reduces activity in the logical brain. Which brings me to the second thing that I avoid, which is negative self talk and criticism. Negative self talk and criticism wires the brain to look for what's wrong rather than what's right. It also increases stress and anxiety and reduces his performance and our ability to achieve our goals. And the more that you criticize yourself, the more that you criticize others. So practicing self forgiveness will also help you to stop doing, number one, gossip and drama. The third thing I avoid is social media breaks. Every time you're at a red light, waiting in line, or taking a break at work, you're checking social media. You're decreasing focus and productivity by overstimulating and tiring the brain. You're also decreasing your ability to be creative because time and silence and boredom is essential for allowing the mind to wander.
