Healing the Brain Through Balance

At the Heart of Flow is Balance. In addition to the tips given before, increasing a state of “balance” is connected to a healthy flow state.

Perhaps, we need to eat-drink-move-sleep-talk-walk-socialize-rest all in balance. The extent of individual needs for certain things is different; it’s about finding and monitoring your own needs.

Firstly, we can start by being mindful of how we feel during the day and can take mental and or physical notes. For example these notes might be:

-I feel bad if I don’t sleep***hours.

-I feel bad if I don’t speak to one person every day

- I feel bad if I spend too much time with friends and family and don’t get enough rest.

Do a gentle mental check-in; how do you feel when you eat? How much do you need? To Work? Socialize? Rest? For Hobbies? Anything else that is important and fills your daily life? Here, we create the internal balance that we need to help achieve our mental “flow” together with our physical flow.

We cannot change everything at all times, but we can make an effort to adjust our lives and ourselves externally and also mentally. Suppose, I cannot limit the time I work due to the economic crisis. In that case, I would like to ask you, if there are alternatives or changes to your situation, can you do anything constructive to help ease this path? For example, I might ask for support from those I love during these hard times…the occasional cooked meal or hand to hold or hug… I can also change my perspective to generate positive, optimistic, and hopeful thinking. Perhaps you can change moments at work, even if a few minutes where you can find silence and peace.

This point reminds me of a personal story.

My grandfather, Nihat Boytüzün was a street kid in Istanbul. He grew up in poverty, searching for a slice of bread he could share with his family, and would spend his time at the grand bazaar listening and watching tourists, learning English from them. He grew up to be honest, intelligent, and driven, one of the first to kick-start the tourism industry and became very successful and wealthy. He was the most grateful and positive person I knew. At every meal, he would say, “Ahh, I have a meal and my family beside me; I am the happiest person in the world-what more do I need!” His laughter and positivity would spread across the room. A man who grew up from nothing and was grateful for every moment, knowing how to be happy with the bare minimum, with just the love for his family. A lesson I hope never to forget and wish to share…

Finally, another physical way of achieving balance is using both sides of our brain. Very literal and practical. For example, practice writing with your left hand if you are right-handed and right if left-handed. Or learn an instrument like the guitar or piano if you have one. Try balancing on different legs or Yoga.

“Grounding” is also essential, visualizing being rooted and firm to the ground, like a tree, and occasionally, walking barefoot on grass…letting go of static energy. Some practice chakra and energy healing.

Balance can also increase with a decrease in stress. Letting go of expectations and accepting events and people as they are while increasing your willpower to create your change-your own future where you are at peace. It is here where positive thinking, if you are religious chants or Mantras of your religion or spirituality and if of no particular affiliation, positive re-affirmations done on repeat can be helpful.

Can you think of other ways?

The internal and external are one, and every little change helps…

With Love,

Elif

PS: These are merely my thoughts, nothing I ever write can be taken as a “fact,” merely information for you to explore.

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