Friday 24th May

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Busy Brains

Written by
Paul Hassing

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16
Jun

: My subconscious says Hi!

I often say our subconscious is a powerful, problem-solving ally.

Last night mine (let’s call him SC) gave us this blog post.

I’ll be interested to see if you prefer his writing to mine.

Stumped for a good topic, I was awake and worried at 5 am.

I asked SC if he’d help.

He didn’t answer directly (he never does) but he immediately put me to sleep.

Mind the Gap

SC then noted that while we always bang on about how a business is nothing without its people, we rarely note that people are nothing without their brains.

Given this, he was amazed at how poorly I treat mine.

He next dictated this subheader:

Bossing Our Brain

He observed that I boss my brain around dreadfully.

When I want to wake up in the morning, it’s three strong teas and a stronger coffee.

When I need to stay alert in the afternoon, it’s diet cola.

If this doesn’t work (or something’s going seriously wrong) I may even bang my head on my desk to clear the static.

When I’m keen to relax after a hard day, it’s beer or wine.

When I’m ready to sleep, it’s one of Fonnie’s herbal remedies.

If I still can’t sleep, or I wake at 2 am, it’s half a sleeping pill.

Not to mention the headache tablets, relaxants, antidepressants and myriad other medicines I’ve used over the decades.

Round the clock, through the seasons, I’ve bossed my brain, dictating how I want to feel and function; giving it no chance to do its thing.

I’ve read that cave people survived stresses far greater than conflicting deadlines (e.g. sabre-tooth tiger attacks) with no mental aids.

Their brains naturally contained every chemical needed to help them work, rest and play.

SC was surprised and annoyed I had no faith in what he considered our primary organ.

A Worker’s Tools

Models get manicures.

Crowd controllers tone their muscles.

Singers save their vocal chords with humidifiers.

As business owners, our brains are arguably our most important asset.

As a writer, mine’s indispensible.

So how do I care for this most precious tool?

Meditation? Too much to think about.
Exercise? Only if I’m in the mood.
Healthy diet? When I don’t have work on. And I can be bothered shopping and cooking.

Not very impressive, to my mind.

Worse, because I live mostly ‘in my head’ I’ve not taken great care of my body either.

I’ve done detoxes. They’re hard, but they force you to face and fix bad habits.

And in the quest for something more interesting than beans, you discover fab foods you’ve never touched.

Soon I start 30 days off the grog.

Dry July and kindred events are showing a welcome shift in societal attitudes towards nicotine, alcohol and other poisons.

I can’t wait to report how abstinence affects my work.

What Do You Think?

Having dressed me down at length, SC rewarded my attention with a wonderful dream that my mother was still alive.

I awoke with a rare feeling of calm.

Then I rose and wrote what had happened.

Other people’s dreams are supposed to be very boring.

Yet mine may have value if you’re thinking of treating your brain better.

You’ve read this far, so I could be in luck.

I’ll be even luckier if you share your thoughts on better business via bright brains in buff bodies.
( )

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

alcohol, brain, concentration, Dry July, health, self employed, self employment, small business

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What others are saying

Author

MyCarBudget Team

June 16, 2011 at 10:18 am

Sound mind and body Paul. I think most people are mentally stronger than what they give themselves credit for and their brains can take much more than this life puts in front of them. Much of this is based on that support network at home and work. It is also based on your personality. We aren’t all the same.

There is much to be said about taking breaks away from work and stress and much to be said about putting things into perspective.

BTW your reward (dream) does sound lovely.

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 16, 2011 at 10:21 am

Great comment, MCB; thank you! It was indeed a ripper dream. The longest time I’ve had with Mum since her death five years ago. I believe we ignore such signs at our peril.

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Author

leon Noone

June 16, 2011 at 10:44 am

G’Day Paul,
First, ya gotta trust your subconscious. Many don’t. It will come through for you. Perhaps it wont be at a time or in the precise context you expected. Just relax and let SC do it’s work.

Secondly, permit me to remind you of something from the halcyon days of TA: transactional analysis in the 1970s/1980s. When you’re feeling a bit anxious, ask yourself two questions.
:What’s the worst thing that can happen?
What’s the best thing that can happen?

These questions help put problems in perspective. They also provide a faint glimmer of hope when tour team’s 27 points down and kicking into a howling gale entering time on in the last quarter.

The trick is to stay calm enough to remember to ask them.

And, like I always say, make sure you have fun

Regards

Leon

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 16, 2011 at 10:59 am

Them’s some mighty handy questions, Leon. I’d not heard of TA. I think TA and SC are going to get along just fine! Thank you kindly for another beaut contribution.

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Author

Phil Owens

June 16, 2011 at 8:58 pm

Paul – unleash the power of the mind!

As a hypnotherapist (dont tell the corporate clients, the ‘H’ word can get a bit scary for them!), I find the way that people respond to ‘modern world’ issues (stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, etc etc) often by not responding, but by displacing (alcohol, drugs, coffee, herbal remedies….).

In essence, your mind is ‘bossing itself’ – there is no special place in the mind that is the subconscious. I prefer to explain to clients that the consciousness is like a torch beam in a warehouse of resources – that is the subconscious.

You can hold 7 +/- 2 bits of information in your consciousness, and process about 128 bits per minute. Your unconscious processes at over 30 bits per second (1800 per minute!). Whilst you wave your narrow torch of consciousness around, the rats are scurrying about in the dark doing the real work!

Recent studies have shown that the brain is plastic – exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells. Mild levels of alcohol consumption is OK (no negative effect), and sugars and saturated fats stop new brain cell growth. If you were going to do one thing – exercise. (It has the same chemical effects as antidepressants, so it is a mood-booster too!)

Positive mood and decreased stress increases creativity. I imagine this is important for all of us. There is no good level of stress – as soon as we ‘create’ stress to a situation, our amygdala (part of the brain) sparks and puts us into flight/fight (as per that old Sabre Tooth tiger) – Under such circumstances, we get more focused and less creative (in order to increase survival chances). So if you are relaxed and happy, you are much more creative (funny how research confirms real life..)

A trick for using your ‘unconscious process’ is to ask yourself a couple of questions before you go to sleep. The brain loves closure (have you ever wondered why hanging questions or ’7 reasons’ headlines work so well?), so whilst you sleep, it will seek within for solutions. Have you ever woken up with some new idea or solution?

@Leon – great questions. The third question would be “If the worst happened, what would I do then?” – this puts the brain back into positive future orientation and a problem solving stance.

Great to hear you had a wonderful dream experience. The brain really is a wonderful thing!

ps – If you want to deal with any of that stuff with Hypnosis, drop me a line.

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 16, 2011 at 9:05 pm

Dear Phil, I’m not looking forward to experiencing SC’s nocturnal reaction to your assertion that he isn’t special.

Mind you, after I wrote this post I wondered if it was your brain-related comments on our last post that triggered this whole mindful affair in the first place!

I always tell my HR clients to write the body of their job ads first and let the headline incubate overnight. It invariably drops out for me in the morning like a spanner from a pillow slip.

Thanks for all the bonus info in your comment. I’m tempted to come up with a totally left field (left brain?) topic next week to see if I can stump you.

Somehow, I doubt it. Best regards, P.

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Author

Jo

June 18, 2011 at 12:29 pm

It sounds a bit like a football player who has only exercised one leg, facing the front line and wondering why he runs around in circles.
We exhaust our head, disconnect it from the body and face those front line obstacles we put up with the likes of sugar and alcohol, expecting to score try after try.
You are right Paul, creativity relies on the brain just as athletics relies on the body. Both need quality down-time. I can’t imagine a ballerina scoffing down beers and pies on their down time, so make that ‘quality’ down-time.
When I start over-thinking I don’t know whether it is self-sabotage or pushing the comfort zone until it becomes uncomfortable.
As a serial over-thinker I have found yoga gets me out of my head – in a good way!
I love those moments of clarity, when I feel the information really is coming in from an open channel.
Whether it’s via a dream or when I am awake, I feel I am being given that information for a reason.
Thanks for the reminder, have a great weekend. Jo.

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 18, 2011 at 3:03 pm

Lovely to hear from you, Jo. Sorry the system had to OK your first comment. You’ll be right as rain from now on.

I like your analogies and your take on this topic.

It’s also nice to know I’m not alone. (This has been one of my least commented posts. Perhaps other people’s dreams really are blog poison!)

I’ve heard nothing but good things about yoga. Tried it once and nearly snapped a hammy. I may well give it another shot.

Thank YOU for joining us. I hope you come back soon!

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Author

Ensha Reiya

June 18, 2011 at 5:28 pm

Focus – attention, energy whatever you want to call it, is best directed onto what we DO want, onto solutions, new perspectives and original thoughts. Irregardless of what the chaos factor is stirring up around the place.

I discovered “after a few bad hair days” that the creative process mostly doesn’t run to my personal time schedules, with those precious gems and moments of clarity often dropping in at the 11th hour, As we become more comfortable and trusting of this process it can take the pressure off. Fear and self doubt on the other hand are an instant dis-connector a shut off valve for innovation and creativity.

Think of those things that really increase your vital energy levels and then get committed to including them in your life.

Being aware of your thoughts as you go to sleep at night – asking the unconscious to provide you with a solution/s or a new perspective. Giving the unconscious something productive to work on while you rest.

None of the above is probably any news.

Where to next: There is a leap “possibly it’s a leap of faith” involved in moving from the above being knowledge(where it is great ideas in your head) and positive things to do (where it takes lots of effort and energy to keep uplifted/inspired) to it being who you are most of the time.

Here is when it becomes more natural to think of solutions, remain positive uplifted expansive and creative in all that you do.

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 18, 2011 at 6:46 pm

Thank you, Ensha; nobody tells it like you do!

Thanks also for your post on essences this week. I found it fascinating.

http://enshareiya.wordpress.com/australian-bush-flower-essences/

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Author

Joanna Maxwell

June 20, 2011 at 8:27 am

Love this one, sounded just like my life only better expressed

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 20, 2011 at 8:30 am

You’re way too kind, Joanna. May I remind you that YOU are the one writing major articles for the Financial Review while I’m bangin’ out haikus on Twitter?!

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Author

Kate James

June 20, 2011 at 10:48 am

Great article Paul. Having just returned from a completely relaxing yoga and meditation retreat in Ubud, I think one of the best cures for all of the busy mind stuff is getting away from it all.

Internet access was very limited and we were coffee and alcohol free for ten days. It’s amazing how restorative it feels to get away from some of the vices of the world and to slow down and spend time in a beautiful, natural environment.

Maybe your dry July could coincide with a bit of a holiday too?

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 20, 2011 at 10:56 am

I’m thrilled to bits you found time to comment, Kate. I imagine there’s a truckload of work waiting for you since you got back.

I decided not to wait for July. I’m four days off the sauce already and feeling fantastic for it! Better sleep. More productive. Happier frame of mind. I’m even thinking of making it permanent!

Fonnie and I have also decided (just this morning) to schedule a holiday for this year and the next. Though the second is 15 months away, we’ll have two things to look forward to and work towards.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this post, Kate. I really appreciate it.

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Author

Kate James

June 21, 2011 at 5:05 pm

My pleasure Paul. Great that you’re already doing your ‘alcohol free’ thing. I feel the same – happier, more relaxed and sleep better than ever. I’m with you…it could be great to make it a permanent thing!

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Author

Sheila (@stinginthetail)

June 22, 2011 at 1:01 am

I rarely drink, and when i do, i really notice the effects – it dulls all my senses.

Enjoyed the article going away from what i want is an effective tool with my brain. Going off to do the washing up is almost guaranteed to make the answer to a plot problem pop into my head.

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Author

Paul Hassing

June 22, 2011 at 7:17 am

I’m thrilled to see you here, Sheila. Hearty congrats on finishing your book, BTW!

Your washing up comment struck a chord. I once conceived an entire chapter, complete with tricky plot twists and hi-tech invention, while swimming in a semi-trance up and down Lane 3 of the Fitzroy baths.

It seems brains can be our best mate or your worst enemy. It’s very nice to have yours on our team.

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