Max Your Mind: The Owner's Guide for a Strong Brain - Softcover

Stanton, Sandra Sanquist

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1630475513 ISBN 13: 9781630475512

Publisher: Morgan James Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

Frustrated with your brain? How would you like to remember where you put your car keys? Is multitasking working for you? Do you ever wonder how you drove to your destination? Baby boomers may be painfully aware of “the Fade”---as parts of our mind, body, spirit and relationships change and slow down through the years. "Max Your Mind" points out many benefits or “the Boost” that come with maturity, while offering tips to stay sharp and deal with the down side.

If you are willing to explore some uncharted waters, you may discover satisfying gifts that light up your brain. Retirement can mean a second wind and a new sense of purpose. "Max Your Mind" takes a light hearted look from a spiritual perspective at the serious subject of the ways brain, body, spirit and relationships work together so we can more easily make choices to stay healthy and happy.

Researchers have great news for us! Our brains are “plastic”, which means they change, improving and growing stronger in many ways as long as we give them what they need. However, scientific studies may not be everyone’s favorite reading material. "Max Your Mind" uses anecdotal stories to translate their work into usable tips that we can apply to our everyday lives. Conversational neuroscience can help us a make life-giving choices. Solutions appear that we can accept without blame or shame. Reader friendly applications can guide us to live fully as God intended. We hope you will find hope, help and humor within the pages.

About this title

About the Author

Sandra Sunquist Stanton NCC, LPC, BCC is an author, speaker, professional counselor; board certified coach, parent, wife, and grandma to nine amazing kids. Her alphabet soup translates to Nationally Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Coach. She has been helping people of all ages make the most of their amazing brains through her business, Connections of the Heart LLC. She was invited to set up a guidance program at Kunming International Academy in Yunnan, China, published over 50 articles and book chapters and has presented over 100 workshops in 8 states and in Canada since retiring from school counseling.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Do any of these experiences sound familiar?

Why did I come into this room?

I spend way more time looking for things than I used to.

Her name is right on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t pull it from my memory!

If so, you are not alone! Once we reach a certain age, “senior moments” seem to crop up more and more. The good news is that our understanding of why they crop up is also increasing more every day. Decades ago, scientists believed the brain peaked at age nineteen. More recently, they discovered that our brains are under construction until age twenty-five or later, when the brain cells in our prefrontal cortex (PFC)---that part of the brain behind the forehead---become fully protected by myelin. Our PFC is where self-control, planning, and “executive function” reside.

As we all know, our brains do indeed “fade” as we grow older, specifically in the areas of working memory, processing speed, word retrieval, remembering where we learned something, and detail discrimination. Multitasking makes us forget what we did or said. We have only one “main monitor,” so as we age, we must choose our focus carefully.

But did you know that certain mental abilities actually get better with age? It’s true! For example, our vocabulary and language skills grow with use. We’re better able to pay attention to things that interest us. Our reasoning and ability to manage our emotions improve with use and maturity. Our dedication and willpower get stronger over time. Years of experience and broader perspective help us make better decisions, allowing both creativity and wisdom to blossom. We can celebrate and appreciate these God-given abilities and use them to create more satisfying lives.

Hold on for the best part---in addition to the natural “fade” and “boost” the brain experiences with age, it continues to grow, change, and reorganize itself through our entire lives based on our choices: food, mental and physical exercise, musical training and expression, time and activities with friends, learning a new language, meditation, and even some video games have been proven to help use and strengthen the new brain cells our brain is constantly developing. New insights about neuroplasticity---our changing or “plastic” brain―have revised earlier research that told us we were “stuck” with the brain we had as young people. The brain is a “use it or lose it” organ, so with a little work, it can stay sharper than we may have thought.

I’d like to offer you some hope and encouragement to replace the disappointment and frustration you may experience when you forget things from time to time. In Max Your Mind, you’ll learn to combat the natural “fade” in your brain that occurs over time and to “boost” the benefits. Think of it as an owner’s manual for the fully myelinated brain, written particularly to help baby boomers, retirees, and those transitioning into retirement make sense of frustrating “senior moments” and deal positively with them.

My Lifelong Search for Answers. As a board-certified coach and speaker, people often ask me, “How did you get started with all this brain stuff?” I can trace my interest in the brain all the way back to age thirteen, when our family moved from Morris, Minnesota, to Cumberland, Wisconsin, in the middle of the school year. As a brand-new teenager in a brand-new town, I longed for the relationships and experiences I left behind, but I was amazed at how I was able to carry complete images, experiences, and even close friendships with me---right in my own head! Replaying my multidimensional memories from Morris comforted me as I met and made new friends in the smaller but very friendly town of Cumberland.

The comfort of my vivid memories got me thinking: How could my entire life be tucked away into my head? How could all the things my friends said and did---our routines, favorite songs, and private jokes---be saved in the small space between my ears? How was it possible for me to bring events back as though they were happening right now? How was I able to connect new experiences to the ones I left behind---only in my own mind?

Edition details

• Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1630475513
• ISBN 13: 9781630475512
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216