Think Smart: A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your Brain's Performance (25 page)
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Authors: Richard Restak
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BOOK: Think Smart: A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your Brain's Performance
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Learn ways to reduce mental stress.
Mental stress is among the worst situations that you can create for your brain. I say “create” because mental stress differs from physical stress in an important way. While often you can do little about physical stresses caused by, say, a necessary surgical operation, you retain an important role in determining your level of mental stress.
Mental stress is among the worst situations that you can create for your brain. I say “create” because mental stress differs from physical stress in an important way. While often you can do little about physical stresses caused by, say, a necessary surgical operation, you retain an important role in determining your level of mental stress.
Mental stress exerts its most harmful effect on the brain. The hippocampus diminishes in size—the explanation for why stressed people frequently complain about memory difficulties. Elevations of stress-related hormones such as growth hormone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine further decrease the ability to think in an organized manner.
Consider stress as one end of a mental energy continuum. For instance, think back to the last time you took a competitive examination. In order to perform at your best you had to muster a certain amount of mental energy (get “psyched”). If you couldn’t do that and remained blasé about the test, you weren’t likely to do very well. At the other extreme, if you became overly stressed, you also couldn’t perform at your best—thanks to the harmful effects on your memory and general mental ability resulting from the surge of those stress hormones into your brain. This balance between too much and too little arousal forms the basis for the Yerkes-Dodson Law, named after the early-twentieth-century psychologists Robert Yerkes and J. D. Dodson.
A graphic representation of the Yerkes-Dodson Law (page 229) plots performance (vertical axis) against arousal (horizontal axis). The ascending slope of the inverted U-shaped curve represents the energizing effect of arousal. The downward slope, in contrast, depicts the negative effects of arousal (stress) on memory, attention, concentration, problem solving, and other cognitive activities. Notice that performance increases with arousal, but only up to a point (the height of the U-shaped curve). When the level of arousal increases beyond that point—as it does when a person is overstressed—performance decreases.
Yerkes and Dodson also suggested that there is an optimal level of arousal for different mental activities. While getting appropriately excited helps mobilize resources in a competitive examination, a much lower level of arousal is best when writing a poem, painting a portrait, or meditating.
GRAPH OF YERKES-DODSON LAW
The best way to reduce stress is by mentally reformulating the stressful event or situation. Successful people do this all the time. “One person’s stress is the successful person’s challenge” is the key mantra they use to insulate themselves against the harmful effects of stress. In practical terms, this means the harmful effects of stress can be avoided by experiencing potentially stressful experiences as opportunities. Granted, some events will arouse stress in anyone (the death of a child, for example; or wartime experiences severe enough to induce post-traumatic stress disorder). But eventually even the most stressful situation comes to some resolution. And at that time you must make a decision that will determine how much stress this event will cause in your future life.
Ask yourself: “Am I going to allow this experience to determine the course of the rest of my life? Or am I going to take control of my life? What can I learn from this experience?” Mentally reformulating things in this way will increase your feeling of control and protect your brain from stress-induced damage. This is important, since loss of a sense of control is the main contributor to the stress response. No matter how stressful the situation, if you retain control of your attitudes and responses this alone will lessen your stress—even if you can’t affect the situation responsible for your stress. Remember: even in situations where you cannot change what’s happening to you, you can still change your attitude toward it. “Not being able to govern events, I govern myself,” as the philosopher-essayist Michel de Montaigne described the process.
Practical exercises aimed at stress reduction often involve breathing. Unfortunately, most people breathe by expanding their chest and contracting their abdomen. This “chest breathing” is less efficient, since the lungs have to work harder to deliver sufficient oxygen throughout the body. This, in turn, results in a more rapid heart rate. And since only the upper and middle portions of the lungs are being recruited in chest breathing, optimal oxygen transport doesn’t occur—leading to feelings of tension and stress.
To avoid these negative consequences, it’s necessary to shift from shallow, predominantly chest breathing to deeper, more relaxing abdominal breathing. In order to do that, it isn’t necessary to learn any of the specialized breathing techniques advocated by various schools of meditation. You’re not seeking enlightenment here, but simply a reduction in stress.
Here is an easy method to shift from chest to abdominal breathing: Sit with your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on your chest. Breathe deeply in such a way that the right hand rises and falls on your abdomen with each breath, while your left hand remains relatively still on your chest. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. After a few minutes spent establishing this abdominal breathing rhythm, you can forget about your hands and remove them from your chest and abdomen.
A second stress-reduction technique is to practice one of the mental exercises described in Part Three. In order to get away from repetitive stress-inducing thought patterns, choose one that doesn’t involve reading, writing, or language in general. For example, quickly write out a random series of numbers and then commit them to memory using the zero-hero, one-sun, two-shoe, etc., mnemonic technique described on page 108. This imaging exercise (along with the other techniques described below) confers a double advantage: stress reduction and memory enhancement.
The simplest imaging technique involves nothing more complicated than looking at your immediate surroundings and taking a mental snapshot of them. Then close your eyes and “see” in your mind’s eye as many details as you can. Finally, open your eyes and compare your internal snapshot with the scene in front of you. Note what you failed to record. Close your eyes again and add those things that you missed. Repeat the process until your mental image contains all of the relevant components.
Another way of practicing this exercise that I personally favor is to use a camera. First, I select a particularly appealing scene that I will enjoy conjuring at a later time when I’m under stress. Then I take a picture of it with the small digital camera I always carry with me. Later, when I’m feeling stressed, I envision (without looking at the picture) the scene in my mind with as much detail as I can muster. When I’ve done my best mentally recalling the scene, I then look at the picture and compare my remembered image with the photograph.
Other stress-reduction techniques include:
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Learn to stop wasting mental energy on things that are beyond your control.
This doesn’t mean thinking and acting as if you have no control over your life. As mentioned earlier, the worst stress results from situations in which we feel hopelessly dependent on circumstances we can do little about. But for most of us such circumstances are exceptions to the general rule that we remain in control of our lives—or at least we control the decisions that we make. In some cases, that means making changes in our work or personal lives. The most debilitating stress comes from “golden shackles” situations—you hate your job, but you have become dependent on the high salary that accompanies it; your marriage is miserable, but you stick with it because you don’t want your children to grow up in a single-parent home. Such situations are even more stressful if you’re unlikely to find a new job or remarry because of age or other factors. But even though you may require professional help to resolve such painful dilemmas, you have no other alternative than to reduce your stress by making a perhaps painful decision. Stress leads to a destructive cycle in the brain: depression and anxiety induce brain cell loss, which results in disturbances in thinking, concentration, memory, sleep, and general well-being. Taken together, these disturbances cycle back to produce even more stress.
Learn to stop wasting mental energy on things that are beyond your control.
This doesn’t mean thinking and acting as if you have no control over your life. As mentioned earlier, the worst stress results from situations in which we feel hopelessly dependent on circumstances we can do little about. But for most of us such circumstances are exceptions to the general rule that we remain in control of our lives—or at least we control the decisions that we make. In some cases, that means making changes in our work or personal lives. The most debilitating stress comes from “golden shackles” situations—you hate your job, but you have become dependent on the high salary that accompanies it; your marriage is miserable, but you stick with it because you don’t want your children to grow up in a single-parent home. Such situations are even more stressful if you’re unlikely to find a new job or remarry because of age or other factors. But even though you may require professional help to resolve such painful dilemmas, you have no other alternative than to reduce your stress by making a perhaps painful decision. Stress leads to a destructive cycle in the brain: depression and anxiety induce brain cell loss, which results in disturbances in thinking, concentration, memory, sleep, and general well-being. Taken together, these disturbances cycle back to produce even more stress.
•
Respond quickly when you can make a difference in resolving a stressful situation.
If you’re feeling perpetually “keyed up” at work about a specific situation or in response to the behavior of another member of the work team, meet with him or her, explain your concerns, and try to work out your differences. If this doesn’t prove successful, rethink your position. If you still find yourself experiencing stress because of the conflict between your views and the status quo, enlist the help of additional members of the team. But if you do that, be prepared for the possibility that the others may not see things your way. In such a situation, you have a decision to make: remain in the stressful situation or recognize that your best interests are served by moving on.
Respond quickly when you can make a difference in resolving a stressful situation.
If you’re feeling perpetually “keyed up” at work about a specific situation or in response to the behavior of another member of the work team, meet with him or her, explain your concerns, and try to work out your differences. If this doesn’t prove successful, rethink your position. If you still find yourself experiencing stress because of the conflict between your views and the status quo, enlist the help of additional members of the team. But if you do that, be prepared for the possibility that the others may not see things your way. In such a situation, you have a decision to make: remain in the stressful situation or recognize that your best interests are served by moving on.
•
Work off stress with increased physical activity.
This will vary according to your health, interests, and external circumstances. Jogging, weight lifting, even walking will be fine. You don’t have to join a health club—although that will provide the opportunity to vary your exercise routines and thereby avoid the biggest obstacle to maintaining a regular exercise routine: boredom. Take as an example the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, who lives as if each day were twenty-three hours long, so that no matter how busy he might be, he always has an hour to devote to exercise.
Work off stress with increased physical activity.
This will vary according to your health, interests, and external circumstances. Jogging, weight lifting, even walking will be fine. You don’t have to join a health club—although that will provide the opportunity to vary your exercise routines and thereby avoid the biggest obstacle to maintaining a regular exercise routine: boredom. Take as an example the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, who lives as if each day were twenty-three hours long, so that no matter how busy he might be, he always has an hour to devote to exercise.
•
Avoid long, uninterrupted periods of work.
Take regular breaks that engage your brain in a totally different activity. A lawyer friend of mine spends ten or fifteen minutes sketching during his breaks. This shifts his brain from verbal to visual—motor processing.
Avoid long, uninterrupted periods of work.
Take regular breaks that engage your brain in a totally different activity. A lawyer friend of mine spends ten or fifteen minutes sketching during his breaks. This shifts his brain from verbal to visual—motor processing.
•
Monitor your moods, fantasies, and interior self-talk.
If you’re feeling “keyed up,” stop for a few minutes and figure out what stressors are contributing to your inner discomfort. If you find yourself dwelling on upsetting and stressful scenarios, change your brain activity by stopping whatever you’re doing and turning to something that doesn’t involve introspecting on personal concerns (exercise or working on a puzzle).
Monitor your moods, fantasies, and interior self-talk.
If you’re feeling “keyed up,” stop for a few minutes and figure out what stressors are contributing to your inner discomfort. If you find yourself dwelling on upsetting and stressful scenarios, change your brain activity by stopping whatever you’re doing and turning to something that doesn’t involve introspecting on personal concerns (exercise or working on a puzzle).
•
Reach out to other people.
With the construction and function of our brain, we’re social creatures. As mentioned earlier, the brain is a social organ at every level, starting from the networking of its neurons and proceeding upward to our behavioral interaction with other people. Granted, this may have to be individualized according to your own personal “sociostat.” If you tend to be introverted and uncomfortable in large social gatherings, it’s all right to limit yourself to a few friends, but be sure to take the necessary steps to keep these friendships in good repair. The best way to do that is to take the initiative and make the first contact. Remind yourself of those occasions in the past when you felt better after getting together with someone, even though prior to the meeting you didn’t “feel like” doing it. Your improvement in mood resulted from getting “out of yourself” and entering a less egocentric world.
Reach out to other people.
With the construction and function of our brain, we’re social creatures. As mentioned earlier, the brain is a social organ at every level, starting from the networking of its neurons and proceeding upward to our behavioral interaction with other people. Granted, this may have to be individualized according to your own personal “sociostat.” If you tend to be introverted and uncomfortable in large social gatherings, it’s all right to limit yourself to a few friends, but be sure to take the necessary steps to keep these friendships in good repair. The best way to do that is to take the initiative and make the first contact. Remind yourself of those occasions in the past when you felt better after getting together with someone, even though prior to the meeting you didn’t “feel like” doing it. Your improvement in mood resulted from getting “out of yourself” and entering a less egocentric world.
•
As a corollary to the last suggestion, get away from stress-provoking thoughts by doing something for others.
Empathy and sympathy are two brain processes that are on the endangered list of human emotions thanks to constant media exposure to negative information and images (wars, terrorist attacks, genocidal tribal conflicts). The more of these images we see, the harder it is to put ourselves in the place of the people enduring these experiences (empathy) or to try to do something sympathetic to reduce their suffering. And while it’s true that you are probably not in a position to do much about these larger concerns, you can be of service to people in your immediate environment. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, for instance, to enhance your brain’s empathic faculties.
As a corollary to the last suggestion, get away from stress-provoking thoughts by doing something for others.
Empathy and sympathy are two brain processes that are on the endangered list of human emotions thanks to constant media exposure to negative information and images (wars, terrorist attacks, genocidal tribal conflicts). The more of these images we see, the harder it is to put ourselves in the place of the people enduring these experiences (empathy) or to try to do something sympathetic to reduce their suffering. And while it’s true that you are probably not in a position to do much about these larger concerns, you can be of service to people in your immediate environment. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, for instance, to enhance your brain’s empathic faculties.
•
Try to reduce the importance of the event, situation, or person triggering your stress by keeping things in perspective.
If you’re stressed in anticipation of an interview for a new job promotion, remind yourself that if this opportunity falls through, there will be others in the future. This technique, known as “reframing,” enhances performance because fear and anxiety tend to diminish when the stressful situation is looked at with what the ancients referred to as the “long view.” When taking the long view, you bring about activation of the frontal cortex, which then inhibits the stress-inducing activity of the amygdala, thus resetting your mental equilibrium.
Try to reduce the importance of the event, situation, or person triggering your stress by keeping things in perspective.
If you’re stressed in anticipation of an interview for a new job promotion, remind yourself that if this opportunity falls through, there will be others in the future. This technique, known as “reframing,” enhances performance because fear and anxiety tend to diminish when the stressful situation is looked at with what the ancients referred to as the “long view.” When taking the long view, you bring about activation of the frontal cortex, which then inhibits the stress-inducing activity of the amygdala, thus resetting your mental equilibrium.
•
Remind yourself that stress is the natural response to any situation that you can’t manage or believe that you can’t manage.
When you’re feeling stressed, take the time to step back mentally and ask yourself, “Am I setting myself up for failure here? Why not give it my best and see how things turn out?”
Remind yourself that stress is the natural response to any situation that you can’t manage or believe that you can’t manage.
When you’re feeling stressed, take the time to step back mentally and ask yourself, “Am I setting myself up for failure here? Why not give it my best and see how things turn out?”
•
Finally, remember that stress isn’t all bad.
Your feeling of stress is your brain’s way of telling you that you must discover and address the cause of your stress. Failure to do so leads to stress-related physical afflictions such as ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. You can avoid these afflictions by acting promptly and taking active steps to change the stressful situation.
Finally, remember that stress isn’t all bad.
Your feeling of stress is your brain’s way of telling you that you must discover and address the cause of your stress. Failure to do so leads to stress-related physical afflictions such as ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. You can avoid these afflictions by acting promptly and taking active steps to change the stressful situation.
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