No one gets it not really (unless they’ve been there) the shift of consciousness into a person who is me but not me a person who thinks thoughts I would never think does things I would never do No one gets it but they can still sit talk be with me even if sometimes they get things wrong even if sometimes they get frustrated They can still keep me from floating away They can keep the dark loneliness at bay No one gets it but they can still be a comfort a shield a protector saving me from myself They don’t need to get it to love me
Besides everything listed in Brain Helpers Part 1 , science has found a number of other ways we can repair, protect, and grow our brains. I’ve collected some of them and divided them into Physical and Mental for posting purposes. Here are the Mental ones. (And here are the Physical ones.) Mental ways to repair, protect, and grow your brain Reduce stress . Too much stress kills neurons, alters brain structures, impairs memory, and leaves us more susceptible to mental illness. In bipolarites, it triggers episodes. The conversation around reducing stress won’t fit here. For now, this Harvard Health article and this NAMI list cover a lot of ground. Do puzzles . This isn’t a global fix for brain health, but it has been shown to help with attention, reasoning, and memory. Be happy . I know, I know , but happy brains are better at memory and learning, and they kick ass at neuroplasticity. There is a huge (like 30%) global increase in function in happy brains. All of this means a b