Hello, hello! Today we are going to start a 10-part series on the seven areas of living magically. There are seven areas, but three of them are doubles. This means they are two separate topics that go together. We’ll talk about those separately, so that makes a total of 10 topics for each episode or edition. The first topic we will talk about is brain magic and how to live magically with the brain.
We did an overview of the seven areas of living magically in the first edition, but let’s recap.
The seven areas of living magically are:
- Nutrition (fueling intentionally to serve the body, mind, and life)
- Physical movement (which can be exercise or natural body movements)
- Relaxation & sleep (they go together, and stress relief is a huge theme here)
- Relationships (including family, friends, partner, kids, self, and anyone else in life)
- Brain & energy (this can be mental/emotional health, cognitive function, and it gets a bit woo with energy)
- Environment (including the physical environments at home, work, and other places, along with any emotional and energetic environments like being surrounded by negativity vs. positivity)
- Purpose & beliefs (this can be a meaningful career, volunteering, family or community roles, and a set of core values or beliefs that may or may not be spiritual in nature)
You probably noticed that the brain is a double topic with energy. They really do go together. We’ll talk about that more in a future edition where we cover energy. Right now, we’ll start with brain magic. Make sure to keep listening because I talk about the best part toward the end.
What is brain magic?
The brain is so powerful. Brain magic does include mental health, emotional health, and cognitive function. Also, it goes way beyond that. I wanted to start with brain magic because it is the foundation of making every single other area flow smoothly. Think of it as the secret magic trick to success in literally all areas of life. However, I don’t want this to be a secret. We should all know about this so we can all live magically.
Thoughts, Actions, & Results
Our thoughts about our behaviors and the effects our behaviors will have dictate what we do. For example, if we think that following through with some advice won’t work then we likely won’t do it. If we think there would be huge negative consequences to something, we would likely be deterred.
For example, a person may be driving down the road, speeding. Maybe they’re not thinking too much about it, or maybe they’re thinking that they won’t get caught so it’s okay. Nothing will happen, no negative consequences. They’re in a hurry so they decide to go faster for what they think will be a positive result of getting to their destination faster. Then they see a police officer up ahead. What do they do? They hit the breaks! Now their thoughts change.
They start to think that they may get caught, and, that would be an unfavorable outcome for them. Not only would it slow them down far more than driving the speed limit, but there would likely be a ticket with a fine. Their thoughts changed, and then their behavior changed. That possibility of the police officer checking for speeders, and the possibility of getting caught, always existed. It was the awareness of the police officer in that moment, and the shift in thought, that changed the behavior.
Let’s put this into perspective with health and life.
Brain Magic Example
Let’s say I tell you that brain magic has the power to completely change your health and life. It’s true. I fully believe that and have seen it happen over and over again. It has been true for me in health and life, for my clients, family and friends, and so many others around the world. You may think “Yeah right, that’s never going to work” and it won’t work. It won’t work because that thought doesn’t lead to change. That thought leads to checking out, moving on to something different without fully learning about brain magic, and repeating previous behaviors that lead to the same results.
Now, consider what would happen if you thought “Wow, brain magic sounds really interesting, I want to learn because it’s going to work!” You would learn, and implement. Thoughts and beliefs would change. Actions would change. It would work. Those thoughts are so powerful.
Brain Magic in Other Areas
Consider some of the other areas of living magically. We have to start with brain magic because this is what makes all of the other areas work. For example, a lot of people want to start with nutrition and physical movement. They’re really important. Also, new food and exercise plans simply don’t work until the brain piece is on track. How many times have you tried a diet or exercise plan and then not hit those goals? It’s really hard to sustain things like that long-term without addressing the brain.
Sure, you may be able to run on willpower and determination for a while. However, most people who start healthy habits or lose weight, for example, fall back into old patterns or regain all the weight. It’s not because there is anything wrong with them. Instead, it’s because most people don’t know how important the brain is in everything else.
Sleep & Stress
Sleep and stress are huge components, too. A lot of times people feel like they can’t follow through with physical movement or nutrition because they’re too tired or have too much to do and not enough time. It’s hard to follow through with much of anything when exhausted. Also, so much of the sleep struggle and stress comes down to the brain. Most people just don’t know that, or they don’t know how to use brain magic to change it.
A very real example is staying up too late despite being tired. Another is not being able to fall asleep once in bed. Brain magic can help on both accounts. In terms of stress, brain magic can decrease stress levels regardless of all the things happening in life. This is because stressful things will continue to happen, that’s life, but how we respond to them is what determines our stress levels. The stress response is controlled by the brain.
Brain Magic in Relationships and Parenting
Brain magic impacts relationships. How we show up with family, friends, coworkers, and children is affected by our thoughts. I’ll share a very real example because I’m human and, wait for it, I’m not perfect. Sometimes my kids have a hard time, especially if we’re traveling, off schedule, or adjusting to new time zones. That’s completely normal. Child development and parenting don’t happen flawlessly, and kids need to learn skills to adapt. They’re not born with all those skills, but they are born with the ability to learn. Kids who don’t learn in childhood can always learn as adults, but that’s a different topic.
Anyway, sometimes when kids are having a hard time they respond in ways that are not comfortable for adults. You may have seen kids crying in public when things don’t go their way. Why isn’t the grass rainbow and sparkly and why can’t they have a pet that’s half unicorn and half dragon? Hate to say it, but as parents, we can’t always make it happen for them. We wouldn’t want to, either.
As a parent, sometimes I get frustrated with this reality. My thoughts determine how I show up. If my thoughts are judgemental or lack understanding, I may show up grumpy and impatient. That tends to escalate the situation. However, if I think about what they’re experiencing first, I show up very differently.
Simply asking myself “Why?” generally does the trick.
Maybe they’re doing whatever they’re doing because they’re tired or uncomfortable. Great, now we can take action from that understanding. My interactions change. Instead of being grumpy, I’m able to change plans. I’m able to offer them patience and a safe space to work through whatever they’re experiencing. That’s a lot harder to do when thinking about how ridiculous they’re being in that moment. Are they really being ridiculous, or are they just experiencing and learning?
Notice how both parent and child are learning in this example. It’s continuous. We never need to stop learning, growing, and improving because none of us are perfect. When we think we finally have it all figured out, in life or in relationships, something new heads our way. Everything changes with brain magic. We can’t control other people, but we can control our own brains, the thoughts we think, and how we show up in the relationship.
Brain Magic in Career and Life Purpose
Careers benefit from brain magic, too. Our thoughts determine if we strive for new educational achievements and job opportunities. Going back to school for a degree and applying for a job above the current position are actions that take a lot of courage. Those leaps can be growth opportunities, and they can be uncomfortable. It’s our thoughts that determine if we go for it or not. Someone thinking “I’ll never get the job” or “I’ll never graduate” is not likely to try. If they start, they are more likely to give up before succeeding. Conversely, someone thinking “I’ll find a way to graduate” or “I’ll keep trying until I’m offered a job I want” is likely to do just that.
Thoughts can lead us to overcome challenges, or they can lead us to burnout.
Brain magic can be the difference between counting down the time to the weekend, vacation, or retirement, and looking forward to getting back to work and contributing. That may look like learning to enjoy a current job, getting a new one, or changing to an entirely different field. Regardless, the changes will only be made if the brain is aligned.
Brain magic is a key element in making decisions and following through with behaviors that are in line with beliefs. For example, one of my core beliefs is that part of my life purpose is to show up in support of people searching for wellness and to live magically. When my brain is off track, I tend to procrastinate and consider easier options. On the other hand, when my brain is on track, I follow through with actions aligned with this core belief. For me, this may look like accepting new clients, serving current clients, and creating content like this. You get to decide your own core beliefs and actions that align with those beliefs. Brain magic can help with that clarity and with the follow-through.
Environment, Energy, & Brain Magic
Environment is another important area of well-being. Similar to career, brain magic can help us to make our current environments better, or to transition to new environments. Further, it can help us to focus on positivity, which is part of the environment. When we do detect negativity, brain magic can help us to process that negativity, or to change what can be changed.
For example, we may be unhappy with where we physically live. The brain can help us to determine what we do and do not like about that home. If it’s the clutter we can purge. Maybe some things are broken and they can be fixed. Perhaps we need to start a garden. Once we make some changes based on awareness of the negativity, and determine that the other things are not going to be changed yet or at all, we can process the feelings around the things we still don’t like. After that, we can shift to focusing on the positives.
Energy is a bit more of an abstract concept.
Have you ever just felt “off” or not quite right? That can be energy. It’s often felt. Every person and place holds energy. Brain magic raises the energetic vibration, even while holding feelings that are typically considered to be negative. It’s easier to understand how happy thoughts and feelings are correlated with higher, more positive energy. This is because unprocessed feelings such as sadness and fear can lower energy. However, processed feelings of sadness and fear can actually raise energy.
For example, I may be sad about a tragic event. After sitting with that sadness, I may decide that I am okay with being sad about it because that’s a natural feeling in this case, and I wouldn’t want to be happy about it. While I’m not happy that it happened, I can accept that it happened and be content with my feelings about it. That may be a bit much to grasp right now. That’s completely fine. We’ll talk more about energy later in the series. For now, just know that shifting energy can make us feel a lot better. Brain magic helps us to shift and maintain our energy regardless of the events that happen in life.
Brain magic is amazing. As I’ve said before, it’s the foundation that supports all the other areas of living magically. This gets so much better, and more magical, too.
Mind, Body, & Brain Magic
Our body is complex. There are lots of signals sending messages and chemical reactions taking place all the time to maintain a balance called homeostasis. Consider what happens when you pour vinegar on baking soda. It bubbles up. Everything we do all day long, from the foods we eat to the thoughts we think, leads to reactions in the body. Yes, the thoughts we think can really change the way our body responds.
Thinking stressful thoughts can amplify pain messengers to feel stronger physical pain. Calming thoughts can dampen pain messengers to feel less physical pain. The brain actually releases more of a chemical called dopamine when we think happy thoughts. This is a chemical that creates a positive feeling. Even simply thinking about hugging someone we care about can lead the brain to respond by releasing more of a hormone called oxytocin. This creates a feeling of bonding. Thoughts have the power to reduce the release of a hormone called cortisol, which is responsible for the stress response. Yes, this means that thoughts and brain magic alone can reduce stress levels.
So, what does brain magic mean for you right now?
The truth is that there’s a lot of depth to it. We’ll get started, and then build from there. For the next week, your assignment (if you choose to accept) is to think about your thoughts. Build awareness. As you go through your day, thinking thoughts and taking actions, what are you thinking and doing? Consider this more of a week for checking in on yourself. Take an inventory of your brain by considering how it shows up with thoughts and responses. If you determine that it needs a little more calm, focus, or direction, make sure to head over to olivinewellness.com for a free brain recording.
Next week we’ll talk about the second area of wellbeing and how you can use it to Live Magically! Make sure to let me know what areas you’re working on and the challenges you’re facing. That way, I can cover the topics that will help you most!
Now what?
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