Neuroplasticity

by Adrian Winship

  In this study, the researchers compared the MRI brain scans of people who suffer from depression with the brain scans of people who have never exhibited the symptoms of depression in their lives. The major finding of this study was that there was a significant difference between the activity of the habenula, which is the part of the brain involved in sleep cycles, learning, stress responses and other important functions.

  The researchers also discovered physical differences in the brains of the subjects, although not in the average size of their habenula. However, those subjects who had a habenula with a smaller size demonstrated more symptoms of a condition known as anhedonia, wherein you lack the ability to experience the pleasures of life. The bottom line of this study was that the habenula may play an important role in depression, particularly in helping those who suffer from it avoid dwelling on unpleasant memories or thoughts.

  Decreased Neuroplasticity

  Neuroscience research that has been conducted on the biological aspect of mood disorders such as depression shows how widespread and profound the effect of the condition is on the human brain. Although there is a high likelihood that depression is triggered when there is a disruption in the activity of specific circuits of the brain, the condition also influences the cellular and biochemical balance of the different parts of the brain.

  For those who suffer from depression, their brains seem impoverished. There is a disruption of the normal growth factors, the balance of glial cells that support the neurons is thrown off and there is a diminution of their capacity for neuroplasticity.

  Depression causes damage to the brain, and the longer it stays with the person, the more severe the condition gets. Subsequently, the process affects more and more parts of the brain. This is why depression comes with a wide range of symptoms. Your thoughts, hormones, feelings, motivations, social interactions and hormonal functions get disrupted. This is also why it's extremely difficult to treat recurrent and severe depression.

  Although depression can decrease neuroplasticity, you can also use neuroplasticity to help combat this condition. To do this, you must activate the proper circuits of the brain that promote healthy pleasure, joy and other positive emotions. This makes your brain stronger and more well-protected against the condition. We will discuss the "how" of this in the next chapter.

  PET Scans of Depressed Brain

  People who suffer from depression have some specific and common structural brain irregularities that can only be seen through imaging scans. One particular study conducted at China's Sichuan University came up with a major finding about this (Jiang & Zhao, Microstructural brain abnormalities in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging, 2016).

  The researchers examined high-resolution MRI scans of people who suffered from depression and social anxiety, and those who didn't have any mental conditions. They searched for differences, specifically in the grey matter of the brain. They examined the thickness of their cerebral cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for most of the information processing functions.

  In another study related to depression, researchers found out that brain imaging can help predict suicide. The researchers who led this study were Marcel Just from Carnegie Mellon University and David Brent from the University of Pittsburgh. Together, they developed a promising and innovative approach to identifying individuals who have a tendency towards suicide by analyzing the changes in their brains.

  Such studies and more show how MRI can help researchers identify depression and all its symptoms and effects in those who suffer from the condition. In terms of PET scans, those who suffer from depression show an increase of green and blue colors, along with a decrease in yellow and white colors, which indicates a decrease in the overall brain activity caused by the condition.

  Chapter 13: Using the Principle of Repetition to Eliminate Depression

  We've discussed how repetition and practice can promote neuroplasticity for the purpose of breaking bad habits and learning new ones. This concept is very important because you can also use it to help eliminate depression. It's important to remember that the strategies of repetition differ from merely "thinking positively." When you keep on repeating these strategies, physical connections are created and strengthened in your brain, which causes changes in its function and structure.

  When it comes to repetition, how focused you are and what you think or do repetitively are important. For instance, if you always have positive thoughts in your mind, you're likely to feel better compared to when you always dwell on negative thoughts. Thinking about something repetitively is like performing a "mental rehearsal" that makes those thoughts come to mind more easily in the future.

  Also, you must consider your repetitive thinking style. For instance, you can focus on information that is "negative" but use this information in a manner that will prove helpful to you. If you are focused on a failure that happened in your life, you can shift your style of thinking and keep repeating how you could have improved the situation so you can succeed in the future.

  The Trouble with Positive Thinking

  We have all heard of positive thinking, and a lot of people rely on this to make their lives better. Although positive thinking may work for some people, you shouldn't rely on it too much because, just like everything else in this world, it also has a downside.

  Yes, having positive thoughts and repeating them to yourself over and over again can help promote neuroplasticity. But when it comes to positive thinking and depression, the former might place you more at risk for the latter, especially if you only rely on positive thinking and nothing else. Here are some of the disadvantages of positive thinking:

  You might end up having unrealistic expectations about your life, which may backfire on you.

  It's impossible for anyone to become an optimist just like that.

  It may lead to deluded optimism, which is a lot worse than realistic pessimism.

  On occasion, positive thinking can be beneficial. But if you want to promote neuroplasticity and improve your life, then you should do more than just think positively.

  The Power of Words

  Neuroplasticity is a complex process. There are many different exercises you can perform to promote it if you want to make a change for the better. Apart from your actions, thoughts and experiences, words can also have a significant effect on neuroplasticity, and this mainly comes in the form of affirmations. Let's learn more about this concept.

  What Do You Expose Your Brain To?

  Have you ever asked yourself this question? Words are a powerful thing. Whatever you say to yourself goes into your brain. This means that if you want to change your brain for the better, you must try to provide as many affirmations to it as you can. Combining these with the other exercises and strategies will definitely help produce changes in your brain that can help you overcome depression, your bad habits and any other conditions you're struggling with now.

  The Power of Affirmations

  Unlike neuroplasticity, affirmations aren't a new concept. Simply put, affirmations are phrases or statements you say to yourself repeatedly. You can create your own affirmations depending on what you want to improve in your life, or you can find affirmations online that fit into your current situation. Although affirmations won't solve your problems, practicing them regularly can help rewire and reshape your brain to cause the behavioral changes you want to incorporate in your life.

  Try to remember the exercises we talked about in the previous chapters. For instance, trying to improve your cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity by performing interpersonal exercises. When you suffer from depression, interacting with other people can be a huge challenge. So how can you help move things along?

  For such a situation, you can come up with affirmations like "I enjoy meeting new people," "I love reconnecting with old friends," "Meeting new people is fun!" or something similar. When you keep saying these statements to yo
urself over and over again, a couple of times each day, your brain will start believing them. Then, when you're faced with a situation where you are about to meet new people or reconnect with old friends, you'll find that it's a lot easier.

  This is just one example of how affirmations work. You can also use affirmations to change your bad habits, to overcome the issues you're dealing with because of your depression and so much more. The key is to come up with the appropriate statements and keep on repeating them to yourself until you believe that they are true. Then it becomes easier to act on the statements and make them a reality.

  Affirmations to Eliminate Depression

  In 2010, there was promising research conducted at Arizona State University that demonstrated how affirmations can supplement the treatment of patients who suffered from depression. In fact, for some of the patients, affirmations were the most influential aspect of their process of recovery. This means that your belief and willingness to embrace the affirmations you keep repeating to yourself increases the chance of them making a huge positive impact on your life.

  As long as you pair these affirmations with actions and conscious effort, you can make a positive impact on your condition. If you suffer from depression, here are some powerful affirmations you may want to start saying to yourself:

  I am a strong person!

  I love myself!

  I only allow loving and healthy relationships into my life.

  Life wants what's best for me.

  I am comfortable and connected with all kinds of people.

  I find joy in life's simple pleasures.

  My feelings matter, so I focus on things that make me feel good!

  The challenges I face bring better opportunities with them.

  I am positive and peaceful.

  I am in control of my life.

  As mentioned, you can also come up with your own affirmations. Just make sure that they are specific and personal, and that the statements are focused on the present.

  Stimulating Our Brains to Encode Joy

  When it comes to depression and the brain, possibly the best way to protect yourself from developing the condition is to stimulate your brain to encode joy. Remember that depression causes structural and functional changes in the brain. So if you make sure that the circuitry of your brain is stimulated by positivity, joy and pleasure, this can help combat the effects of depression.

  More than your thoughts, if you perform activities or have experiences that naturally activate the circuits of your brain that encode joy, these circuits will start transmitting the message to the other parts of the brain to enrich them and protect you against depression. With that being said, here are some activities you can do to activate feelings of pleasure and enjoyment:

  Take on a challenging activity that you think is really fun and stick with it until you gain proficiency.

  Actively search for joy by finding different sources of inspiration.

  Engage in activities that feel like play.

  Rather than ignoring sad experiences, deal with them so they don't block your joyful feelings.

  Honor yourself frequently and consciously.

  Once in a while, take a break from your normal daily routine.

  Use affirmations often, and focus on what they mean in your life.

  When thinking of goals in life, make happiness one of them.

  Do some self-reflection and find out what really makes you feel happy so you can go after it.

  Make happiness your priority.

  Take the time to "smell the roses" and appreciate the small things in life.

  Use your time wisely. Make sure a part of it is for doing something that makes you happy.

  Think happy thoughts!

  Once in a while, spend your money on something that you really like.

  Meet new people with the purpose of falling in love.

  Come up with a back-up plan, especially when you're planning to do something that means a lot to you.

  When you're doing something enjoyable or pleasurable, try to find the purpose of the activity to make it much more meaningful.

  Spend quality time with those who make you feel good.

  Disconnect from technology and explore the real world once in a while.

  Be kind to other people.

  Designate one day each week for fun or relaxing activities.

  Breathe deeply and smile.

  Think of all the things in your life that make you happy and grateful.

  Put a label on the negative emotions you experience to make you feel like you're in control of them.

  Appreciate and love yourself more.

  Just like affirmations, you can customize the fun and pleasurable activities according to your own life. The important thing is to do these activities as frequently as you can in order to help rewire your brain to focus on joy instead of negativity.

  The Power of Reframing

  Reframing refers to a process that first involves becoming aware of negative thinking, then making a conscious decision to substitute these thoughts for more positive and functional ones. This positive substitution is important for the stimulation of neuroplasticity in the brain.

  Reframing can also be called cognitive reappraisal, specifically when it's used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is another powerful self-development tool that you should keep practicing in order to make it a part of your life. Reframing allows you to take control of your own perspectives. Think about it this way: If you had a photo that didn't really appeal to you all that much but then someone placed it in an exquisitely lovely frame, you may look at the photo in a different way. In this example, you didn't actually touch the photo, you simple reframed it. Aou can do the same for any event or experience that happens in your life. Here are some tips:

  If you can’t change the environment, change how you relate to it.

  Often, our environment plays a huge role in our experiences. This is a fact of life that we cannot change. So if you're stuck in an environment that you feel is making you hate your life but you can't get out of it, what do you do?

  This is where reframing comes in. Instead of putting all of your efforts into trying to change your environment, you can try changing how you relate to it. This may not be the easiest thing to do but it's a lot better and more life-changing than stubbornly trying to change things that are beyond your control. Here are some practical ways for you to reframe your mind in order to change how you relate to your environment:

  Be realistic. The more realistic you are, the more you will come to accept your current situation.

  Try not to compare yourself to others, especially those whose situations are different from yours.

  Don't try to be someone else. Instead, try to be as genuine and authentic as you possibly can.

  Remember that empathy and generosity go a long way.

  If you think it's possible, try to change and improve the things closest to you, those that aren't beyond your control.

  The six-step reframing process.

  Another way to understand and better apply reframing is to follow these simple steps in the reframing process:

  Step 1: Identify what behavior or action is causing trouble.

  Step 2: Find out what triggers the action or behavior, and establish communication with it.

  Step 3: Find out if this part has a positive intent.

  Step 4: Access your creative resources.

  Step 5: Try to make a deal with this part, and commit to making it a behavior that's more resourceful.

  Step 6: Check to make sure that all the other parts of you are okay with the new behaviors you plan to do.

  These steps engage your unconscious mind in an indirect way. So when there's something about you that you just can't place your finger on but you know that it's behind your negative or inappropriate behaviors, you can try to discover this part and "have a dialogue" with it. Obviously, this process involves a lot of self-exploration so that you can find out exactly wh
at you need to change.

  Overcoming Depression Through Neuroplasticity

  When it comes to depression, there are many ways you can use neuroplasticity to help in the treatment of the condition. With the principle of repetition, using affirmations, performing activities that teach your brain to encode joy and the process of reframing, you have several options and strategies that can help you change the function and structure of your brain to help you overcome this condition.

  The key is to be willing to change your brain and persist with the different strategies. As long as you do this, you can start your recovery process. Of course, it also helps to consult with professionals about this condition and use the strategies you've learned to supplement the treatment and make it more effective.

  PART 6: DEFEATING PROCRASTINATION AND OTHER ISSUES

  “Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”

  – Michael Landon

  Chapter 14: What Is Procrastination?

  Procrastination is a type of habit wherein you persuade yourself to put things off for another time even though you have the time and ability to do them right now. Instead of performing important tasks, you look for trivial activities to help pass the time. All people at one time or another have experienced procrastination. If you're guilty of this, don't fret, because neuroplasticity can help with this too!