Five Steps to RESET Your Brain

GUARD YOUR MIND

• Many people had high hopes for the year 2020 — as it was supposed to be the year of 20/20 vision, creating, and imagining big lofty goals — but unfortunate events have dissuaded and discouraged us.
• Although we are not able to go back and change time, I believe we can reset and refresh our brains.
• When we experience stress, our brains prepare for fight, flight, or freeze. It’s not the place you want to study in; it’s not the place where you will get the best out of yourself; it’s not the place where you will ponder possibilities and perform.
• Our cognitive abilities are limited when our mind feels overwhelmed.
• There is so much to process: work, family, health, the world, life in general. The connection between an overstressed brain and the rest of your body can have a serious impact on your productivity and peace of mind.
• One of the biggest problems people are facing right now is uncertainty because they do not feel safe.
• We know that when we lose a sense of control it triggers stress and anxiety. When you feel like you don’t have control in the present, you don’t know what tomorrow is going to look like, and you can’t predict the future, you are glued to social media because “if it bleeds it leads”. Your amygdala gets hijacked by the news — what’s dark and scary.
• Your brain has an algorithm just like Instagram and Facebook. Whatever you engage with the most, you get more of. If you like and share cat posts, social media will give you more of them. Your brain is the same way.
• Stand guard to your brain because if you just focus on what’s dark and threatening, you are going to see more of that. Sometimes we go down a wild rabbit hole of “what if’s” that don’t leave us any bandwidth to focus on possibility, opportunity, and what we have to be grateful for.

STEPS TO R.E.S.E.T

• When you want to reset your brain, you don’t want to necessarily start by painting a picture of a positive future (although you can start there):
• Where I would start is doing small, simple steps to make you feel safe in the moment because when we don’t feel safe we go into that fight, flight, or freeze mode.
• I put an acronym together, R.E.S.E.T, that will help you feel safe.

R stands for Routine:

• I believe the treasure you seek is hidden in your daily routines. When I say routines, I am referring to all of the daily practices we have discussed in previous episodes. Check out my morning routine here.
• I would encourage you, especially if you are new to our community, to start by listening to episode 1. Focus on routines around sleep, devotion to motion, eating routines, and journaling.
• Be sure to design and stick to your routines because little by little a little becomes a lot.

E stands for Emotions:

• Honor your emotions instead of trying to resist them. Many of us have gone through a full spectrum of emotions this year.
• Don’t resist because what you resist persists. If you try not to do it you are likely to do it more.
• Journaling is a wonderful way to reduce anxiety and process what you are going through. Talk therapy and connection to other people are other great ways to process your emotions.
• You could be physically distant but you don’t have to be mentally distant. You can still make connections.

S stands for Sever:

• Sever means to disconnect or separate. Enjoy some genuine time offline. Sometimes when we are on screens all the time it becomes addictive.
• Have you seen “Social Dilemma” on Netflix? It explains how billions of dollars are spent on top brains to find ways to keep you online.
• Fire is not good or bad. It can cook your food or it can burn down your home. It’s about how you utilize it. In the same way, technology allows us to do many great things. It allows us to connect, instruct, and inspire.
• Technology is a tool for you to use but if technology is using you, who becomes the tool? Then you become the tool.
• Life is the C between B and D. B is birth; D is death; C is choice.
• In these difficult times, you have a choice. You can allow these difficult times to define you, diminish you, or develop you. Ultimately you decide with the choices you make every single day.
• We always have a choice to decide what to focus on and what things mean.
• Self-love and self-care are not selfish. Self-love is falling in love with the person in the mirror who has been through so much, but you are still standing.
• The only time to really look back is to honor how far you have come. Do you remember that time when you didn’t think you could survive? You did and you will again!
• Your life is like an egg — if it is broken by an outside force, life ends, but if it is broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things begin on the inside.
• What lies inside of you is far greater than what lies in front of you.

E stands for Explore:

• Curiosity is one of the most important emotions to cultivate along with gratitude. When you are curious, you don’t feel as much fear, just like when you are grateful.
• When someone is upset at you, try being curious instead of angry. It has been suggested that exploration — curiosity, widening our social circles, and engagement — is one of the reasons that positive emotions exist.
• Maybe you can try a new playlist, try a new workout, or new food.
• Find the things that light you up. Passion is what lights you up. Purpose is how you use that to light other people up.
• For example, my passion is learning. My purpose is showing other people how to learn.
• Maybe you are not burnt out because you are doing too much. Maybe you are burnt out because you are doing too little of what really makes you come alive — more of the things that you value.
• Having solitude is a wonderful time for self-reflection. During that time a good question to ask yourself is what is most important to you in your family, job, contribution, and impact. Lean into and explore all of that.
• You can do this same thing with your children. See where their passions go. Give them enough stimulus and novelty. Your brain is a muscle just like your physical muscles, to build it you must give it novelty and nutrition.
• Get curious about your situation.

T stands for Think:

• Dream again. Hope again. There is still time to have vision in 2020.
• Listen to past episodes of Kwik Brain on goal-getting.
• Remember to make S.M.A.R.T goals. Specific. Measurable. Action-oriented. Realistic. Time-bound
• You also need H.E.A.R.T goals.
• Healthy. A vision for your life and family. A vision that supports the ecology and harmony of your life.
• Enduring. A goal that will get you through the hard times and difficult situations.
• Alluring. It pulls you toward accomplishment.
• Relevant. It solves a problem in your life and aligns with a value that you hold dear.
• Truth. Your truth. Many people pursued a career because of their parents or they chose not to date someone from fear of what others would think. You don’t want to have regret and unfulfillment in your life.
• Now is the time to dream again.
• Take a moment now. Take a deep breath. Imagine what you want most.
• Do not shrink your dreams to match this current situation. Upgrade your mindset, your motivation, and your methods to meet your biggest dreams and destiny.
• Imagine what you want most. See it, feel it, believe in it, then work daily for it.
• Do not shrink what’s possible to fit your mind. Expand your mind to fit what’s possible.

KEEP SHOWING UP

• It’s not always about forcing, it’s about flow. Sometimes it’s time to push and stretch, but sometimes it’s time to stabilize and be safe.
• We all know that when something doesn’t work, a reboot often fixes the problem. Try rebooting your brain.
• Choose one or more of these activities and see if your R.E.S.E.T has allowed space for peace, performance, and upgrade.
• Be sure to listen to previous episodes and subscribe to our YouTube channel, here.
• Remember this: Inner peace is the new success, connection is the new currency, and happiness is the new rich. Keep at it. There is a version of you that you have not met yet. Keep showing up until you are introduced to that amazing person.
• The life you live are the lessons you teach, so live it well.
• If you are new to the Kwik Brain Community. Go to kwikbrain.com to get my free videos on how to uplevel your memory and your minds.

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