The human brain is amazing. Your nervous system control center can respond to information so quickly that we have to measure its processing speed in 1/1000ths of a second and it can generate a pulse of information at 300+mph, that’s faster than Tesla Model S Plaid in the HOV lane. We are hard wired for survival. Our brain’s primary objective is to keep our body alive, and for everyone reading this it has done just that, so far. In order for our brain to function best and maximize our natural health expression it needs to be clear. As we live our lives we tend to clutter up our mind with all sorts of thoughts that do not enhance our ability to thrive. Our brain is such an incredible accumulator of information that it does so without thinking…quite literally.
Every human brain is born with certain knowledge; it knows how to breathe, it knows how to regulate blood pressure and direct growth and development. It knows how to fight disease, and how to improve and develop a powerful immune system. All this (and much more) happens without our conscious direction, our body just knows what to do, after all we developed from two cells into trillions of cells specifically organized without any external input. Trust this innate knowledge; it has served you well your entire life. Sometimes, what we need to learn how to do is how to stay out of our own way.
As your brain develops you begin to recognize patterns and learn how to interact with your environment. As an infant we learn that if we need something we cry. As toddlers we learn that if we do something we were told not to we might get hurt, or have a consequential ‘time out’. We are constantly learning and shaping the filter we see our world through. We learn about familial and cultural norms and how to obey laws even if we do not necessarily agree with them. Every experience we have creates an emotion. Our emotions tend to be felt in our body and then interpreted by our brain into a feeling. From there, our brain forms thoughts and decides if we should do it, or not do it; ignore it, or give it our attention; stay and play, or run away. One way or another a decision will be made, and may, or may not, be acted upon.
Each time our environment creates an emotion that becomes a thought, which leads to action (in inaction) and our brain updates its’ filter. The goal of developing this filter is to create a quick/efficient way to handle the everyday, more mundane, environmental stimuli that our brain no longer feels it needs to process itself. The filter becomes our interpretive ‘middle manager’ whose job it is to protect the CEO (the brain) from being bothered with the day-to-day interpretive duties. This is a good thing, for the most part, it eliminates the need to process every little detail of our day. We don’t need to consult our brain to maintain our balance when we’re walking, or to know when to swallow the food we’re chewing, or drive our regular commute to work. We no longer need to think about a lot of things when we use our developed filters.
Habitual actions and reactions can also come directly from our middle manager filter and not our brain. This process of creating filters continues throughout our lives. In the name of efficiency our brain is constantly looking to develop a filter, or habit, for our activities and reactions that we perform over and over again. The filter that is put in place by the repetitive action/reaction then takes over control. Use commuting home from work as an example. We’ve driven the same route each day so many times that we hardly think about it anymore. I remember when I first moved to where I live now I had to really pay attention when I’d leave work, otherwise I’d end up driving right toward my old place without even thinking about it. That’s the phrase that brings it all together, ‘without even thinking about it’. Take a moment and think of all the things that you do on a regular basis which you don’t even need to think about anymore. They’ve become so ingrained and habitual that you do them without thinking. Driving is the easiest for most of us to relate to, but each day so many things get done that you don’t even need to think about consciously. Your day is being operationally controlled by your middle management filter. In other words; you’re not even there, you aren’t really present in the moment. SO where are you?
Well, think about it and we’ll continue this tomorrow.
