I am sure you have felt it. Your brain working at top speed when a 1hr deadline is upon you. Maximum focus and productivity. You have also felt it after an exhausting day of productive work - your head hits the pillow and a mellow, warm feeling slowly encapsulates your body. Your mind starts to drift and then you are gone.
These are the two extremes of the brain states you can achieve. Extreme productivity and extreme rest. Both start in your brain.
What are Brain States :
The neurons in your head fire electrical charges at each other. The frequency that they use - how many times a second they fire - determines your brain state at a certain time.
High Frequency - High function.
Low Frequency - High rest capacity.
Underutilized of Brain Capacity
Sadly, most people almost never enter either of the 2 extremes. They wallow in the middle, never reaping the benefits of extremely focused work or truly regenerative sleep.
Causes
High function is never achieved because of the constant distractions and the developed ADHD that runs rampant in most people due to their tik tok and other trash usage.
Low function is also never achieved due to the constant anxiety most people are under. Our generation is softer than ever making the lightest of stress factors unbearable and the anxiety constant. Anxiety = Constant Alert state.
Cures
High Function Cure: Mindfulness Meditation - not to be confused with fight-the-demons* meditation, mindfulness meditation is ment to train your brain to concentrate at the moment rather than drift off into tangents.
Low Function Cure: Increase Stress Tolerance - by voluntarily engaging in progressively more stressful situations, your stress response will be invoked less and less often by daily inconveniences and troubles (like exams or social situations), priming you for a full wind-down at night.
Be strategic
As is obvious by the diagram, these states lie on a continuous spectrum. Do NOT expect to enter a state at will, especially at first. You will get demotivated and quit. Instead, think of yourself moving through the states in a smooth, continuous manner. This is extremely evident when you wake up in the morning. This is also the reason your brain requires ~15 minutes to enter the flow state.
P.S.
For an explanation on Why you Feel Miserable click here.
More
If you want to learn how to do Mindfulness Meditation without the BS write “meditation” below.
If you want to learn how to increase your stress tolerance, write “stress” below.
As for the Fight-The-Demons meditation, the OG’s know what I am talking about😉.
If your mind is not your Bitch,
You are the Bitch.
Good Luck,
-Theo