Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the brain and its inner workings. I’m always looking for ways to “optimize” my brain. What books to read, what foods to eat, and what exercises to do. I even started learning a new language (which has been both frustrating and fun simultaneously).
Side note: I now can read the Japanese language’s hiragana characters but freeze up when someone starts speaking to me in Japanese. Umm…konichiwa?
And I’m not the only one obsessed with optimizing my brain. The recent focus on mental health can be seen online.
Just consider some of the more recent headlines:
- 5 Ways Having a Clean Space Can Improve Your Mental Health
- The 8 best and worst foods for your brain
- Support Brain Health – Simple ways to add to your wellness routine
- This diet helps your mental health by boosting your gut health
There’s so much stuff out there about brain health. It can be overwhelming where to start. But the reasons to start are clear. At least, it is for me.
Taking care of your brain is important
People always talk about staying physically healthy. There are tons of articles talking about eating healthier food, working out, and taking time for meditation. But somehow, the brain always takes the back seat. This is surprising, considering the brain controls most of our body’s functions. How we communicate, make decisions, solve problems, and live productive lives rely on how well our brain is doing.
And if you’re a Christian like me, ensuring your brain is fed properly has to be at the top of your to-do list since you need it to make choices that honor God and Jesus Christ,
There’s a verse of the week that talks about training for a godly life that always comes to mind.
You can check that out here:
Commit to life-long learning
So how do I care for my brain to be a better Christian? While there are still a lot of unknowns regarding brain health, most research supports the importance of learning to keep the brain sharp and healthy.
A recent study by the University of Zurich Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging” found that “senior citizens with an academic background showed a significantly lower increase in these common signs of brain degeneration.”
Meaning senior citizens who committed to lifelong learning had sharper brains. While I’m not saying we all should be professors or go back to school, we can keep learning something new. There are many ways to do it, like actively listening during the worship services and Bible studies inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ).
(If you want to check them out, let me know!)
Personally, I like to take notes because it helps me remember what I learn, and it allows me to go back and look at my notes afterward for those “aha” moments. Like when a Bible verse is read, and it’s EXACTLY the answer to what I’ve been struggling with. I love those!
Consuming positive content is good for your brain.
Okay, let’s face it. With social media and the internet, we are probably exposed to more negativity than we notice. It’s just everywhere. So how do we make our time online count and make it work for our brain health?
Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, articles were written on the impact of negative news on a person’s brain.
“Consuming too much of this kind of news, whether actively or passively, can be very toxic, and what you hear has an impact on your mood.”-Logan Jones, PsyD.
To counter all the negative we hear and see online, I find it important to find content that not only educates and entertains but ultimately uplifts. That could mean reading positive quotes on social media, like
Feeding your brain with Christian content
INC Media is a Christian media website with videos, blogs and podcasts that aim to show you how God’s words can help you live your life. In fact, you’re reading this blog on it right now. Surprise! I know what you’re thinking. “Of course, you’d say hopping onto incmedia.org will help me. You work there.” (Is it weird how I’m reading your brain right now?) Anyway, here are three things your brain gets on incmedia.org.-
- You can learn new things. There’s so much to learn on incmedia.org. Even for someone who spends most of her day going through the site (me), I’m always surprised at how much more there is to learn.
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- You can be inspired by seeing God’s power at work. Listen to stories of how people’s lives are transformed by the Bible on Faith Speaks. There are over 30 stories from individuals who have faced different life challenges, like losing loved ones, dealing with body-image issues, struggling with “perfection,” and praying for the one.
- You can offer your brain a different perspective from the usual “doom and gloom” on the news. Look, the bad news isn’t going to stop. And you can’t always avoid hearing them, but you can learn to react to them in a way that doesn’t beat up your brain. In fact, you can find uplifting stories like the David brothers to help see the bright side of any difficult situation.
Keep the inspiration rolling in
Hopefully, by now, you’ve seen how the content on INC Media can level up your brain. And hopefully, by now, you’ve decided to try it. So what’s next? Do you have to hang out on the site 24/7 to know what to watch, read and listen to? Not at all. Though you are welcome to do so! You can subscribe to our email list to get inspiration delivered straight to your inbox. You can do that here by dropping in your email address.You can also subscribe to an email list on how to use the content on the site to start faith conversations. Good things are never meant to be kept a secret. So here are tools to help you talk more confidently about it.
Sign up for more faith sharing tools
And if emails aren’t your cup of tea or if you also want to refigure your social media algorithm with more inspiring content, make sure to follow INC Media and different programs on Instagram.
