Don’t Let Your Brain Atrophy

Across the country Americans have a fascination with toning their bodies.  In fact, there are over 50 million (that’s about 1/6 of the population) that have a gym membership.  Those with the dedication make sure to tone their muscles, strengthen their heart, and watch their physical health.  But how many of them spend just as much time on their mental health?  Or are they letting their brain atrophy?

Here at Big Sky Collision Center, we train leaders.  We want all of our employees to hone their brain health just as much as their bodily health.  This ensures that they are able to do auto body repairs with ease, they won’t lose time on problems, and overall the work environment is a safer and happier place.

So how do you hone your brain health and not let your brain atrophy?

 

Skip the Diet Coke

If you visit fast food restaurants, you have probably noticed this before.  You’re waiting in line, and the person ahead of you obviously struggles with their weight.  You overhear them placing their order, and when asked what to drink they ask for a Diet Coke.  Their food is loaded with calories, little to no nutritional value, packed with cholesterol, but they justify it with a diet soda!

But we do this mentally every single day.  We wake up and we scroll through our newsfeed on Facebook.  We silently judge those who have made poor decisions, we read about negative news, and we become envious of vacation photos that our friends have posted.  Throughout the day we get down on ourselves for not working hard enough.  We complain about the weather.  We see nicer cars than ours while driving to work.  And we worry about the future.  Then, just before bed, we try to offset all of that negativity with a couple minutes of positive thinking.

Why should we think that packing our minds with negativity all day long, and then trying to be positive for a few minutes at the end of the day, is any different than topping of a deep fried meal with a Diet Coke?

 

Watch Your Thoughts

It is easy to become negative.  And humans are more likely to remember, and learn from, negative experiences.  That’s precisely why there are so many smear ads around campaign season: people are more likely to remember those ads.

But if we fill our minds with negativity, and we’re more likely to remember the negative, then what is most likely to be on our minds and consume even more of our thoughts?

Instead of focusing on negativity, let’s resolve to focus on positivity.  It’s not as hard as you may think.  In the morning, read an uplifting story instead of scrolling through Facebook.  While you drive to work, focus on being thankful (for everything, not just the good things).  Do a random act of kindness for someone less fortunate than yourself.  Go out of your way to help others, and see the good in people.

As your focus changes, so does your attitude.  Your brain gets stronger, and life doesn’t seem so bad.

 

Train Your Brain

If you take a freshly cut twig from a tree, you can twist it and bend it and it will snap right back to its original shape.  But if you take a twig that hasn’t had any water and has stopped growing, it will snap under pressure.  If you apply the pressures of life to your brain, will you be able to twist, bend, and adapt, or will you snap under the pressure?

If you want to be able to cope with whatever life has in store, you need to constantly be training your brain.  Just like thinking positively, this doesn’t have to be that hard!

Throughout the day, how much do you read?  Are you deciphering more words than you are having fed to you (through radio and TV)?  While those sources have their time and place, reading sparks a change in your mind.

Let’s resolve to grow and shape our minds instead of letting them be grown and shaped for us!  Take just 30 minutes out of each day (before bed is a great time) to read books.  They can be self help books, literature, fiction, fantasy, business, or historical.  Consuming the words and letting your mind play with them helps you to grow!

 

Big Sky Collision Center Trains Leaders

We strive to be the best auto body shop in Billings.  And we are doing that by putting our focus on training our employees to be leaders and making sure that they take ownership of the job they are doing.  The result is that we do outstanding work on your car.

If you need your vehicle fixed, detailed, painted, or have a cracked windshield, give us a call at 406-259-6328.