03/07/2023
To understand neuroplasticity, we have to think that the brain is like a grid of connections made by, for example, roads that connect point A to point B. And, the more you travel those roads and repeat a task or a thought, you are making those connections stronger. Let’s say you are trying to learn something new, or you are learning how to deal with your emotions. This new behaviour will start carving out a new path, or road, and the more you use (travel) that road, it becomes natural to us to use that road.
A study showed that when the environment is rich with lots of activities and stimuli, even a tiny lab rat brain can develop skills, like “driving” (link further below). Human brains and lab rat brains may be different in size, but the neurons have pretty much the same structure. It means that even adult humans can change their brain structure, creating new paths and making new connections. It just takes some practice.
The more I see things related to coding and read articles explaining things, the more neuro paths I create in my brain. The more new things I do - or try to - the more flexible and malleable my brain becomes. Meditation also helps stimulate the brain as it can improve brain function by focusing on the present moment. The fact that meditation was never part of my routine, it is a bit challenging to create this new habit, but I believe that slowly I can build up this “skill” that will help me focus more and improve my attention.
Increasing our neuroplasticity can be achieved by different sorts of activities, such as travelling, learning a musical instrument, having a positive mindset, eating well, doing physical exercises, having a social life and much more. During the DevAcademy course preparation, I wrote about doing more exercises which was a personal goal since I came back to NZ. I have tried running every morning for a few weeks, but because I was unemployed at that moment, I didn’t have anything challenging to do, so my motivation was really low. It felt like I was running for nothing. Now that I am studying and have a schedule, going to the gym has been my moment of letting go of all worries and focusing on the present moment. When I don’t go to the gym, I really have a hard time focusing on most things nowadays.
This YouTube video about a research done with lab rats brings a lot of interesting concepts and results. It’s also fun because you can see little lab rats “driving a small car”.
It's a theory which explores the mindset of people. In this theory, a Growth mindset is one where one's view of oneself can determine one's life. The growth mindset embraces challenges and learns throughout the journey, overcoming obstacles once at a time. It's a relevant theory because it creates a passion for learning in which someone tries to overcome their deficiencies and grow as a person.
In the research I did and making this subject relevant to me, I guess the main lesson I've learned is that we have to keep "pushing" to become better and better. Not in a competitive way, but in a more personal way.
I will try to focus on the steps taken because most of the time I tend to let my anxiety take the lead and I often feel demotivated to keep going (because the journey is very long). For example, during sprint 3, I found myself facing a wall that I thought was the problem I had to solve. I tried to find a solution to the problem for an hour before taking a break. When I came back it was clear that the wall wasn’t the problem because I had created it to believe I wasn’t capable of moving forward. It’s funny how our own mind plays games with us. So, I have already been able to change my mindset a little, but there is a need to change it further if I want to succeed at this course.
Here’s a link to activities that can be done to improve our growth mindset. But I really liked to watch this video.
Hope you enjoyed the reading! See you next time!