How Using Both Sides of Your Brain Can Ensure You Live Your Best Life
“You and I only function at our optimal self when we are operating according to our spiritual and biological design.”
By Karla Hardin, MS LPC
By Karla Hardin, MS LPC
I think it was in college that I first heard people saying that some people were right-brain and others were left-brain. The simplistic way I understood it was that right-brain people were the more creative types and the left-brains were more the concrete/numbers type.
At that time, I labeled myself a “right-brain” type since I was artistic and creative. I also naively assumed that we were born leaning to one side or the other and basically would not ever really possess the strengths of the other side. This perspective would bail me out when I struggled in a higher math class as I would simply tell myself, “It’s okay you just aren’t left brained!”
It wasn’t until a few years ago when I started studying the brain and learning more about how it actually works that I realized my whole understanding of right and left brain has been flawed.
QUICK BRAIN FACTS
What I’ve learned about one of our earliest formed organs is that the brain has three main parts. The first to form is the primitive brain - or brainstem, then the midbrain and finally the upper brain known as the prefrontal cortex.
The primitive brain and the midbrain are first and foremost focused on SURVIVAL.
The primitive (lowest center) brain regulates our heartbeat and breathing and other unconscious functions that must happen for us to stay alive.
The midbrain holds our memory functions which also serve to alert us to danger and help us stay alive. Animals’ brains also have these functions.
But the prefrontal cortex (highest center) is what sets us apart from the animal kingdom. It allows us to see ourselves in context of space, time and relationships while recognizing our ability to make choices beyond our instinctual selves.
What’s also so amazing to realize about our brain’s design and the function of the prefrontal cortex (which houses the right and left brain) –it’s where we “live out” the fact that we are created in God’s image. [Genesis 1:27]
So why is understanding the brain parts and function important to you and me?
This is why:
“You and I only function at our optimal self when we are operating according to our spiritual and biological design.”
THREE PRACTICAL TRUTHS ABOUT YOUR BRAIN THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE:
1. Your right and left brain were designed to work together not either/or.
So, the truth is, all of us need to be equally using both sides of our brain as a way of life. This was so encouraging to me as it got me out of the mindset that I’m not left-brain so why try? And for all you who are left-brain dominant –Guess what? You too can be creative, relational and connect with your emotional world!
Understanding your potential and the potential of others keeps us away from defeating self-talk or dreaming small.
Now, I am not saying that we won’t have to strengthen the “less” used side of the brain before we feel confidant in accessing it daily, but the point is –you are more capable than you realize of utilizing both sides of your brain to live your best life.
2. Unresolved hurts and losses are the cause of your left and right side of your brain not working together.
The truth that we must grasp to understand why we get stuck in primarily using just one side of our brain is that when we have had a great hurt or unresolved relationship in our life. This causes a split, like a large median between the right and the left sides, keeping them from working together seamlessly.
Hurts and losses signal fear in our hearts and mind.
This fear of more loss causes us to “downshift” into the lower brain which is simply focused on survival and self-protection.
At this point we aren’t living our best lives – we are simply in a defensive posture trying to avoid losing more.
Here’s a quick test to see if your right and left brain have split in their functioning together...Ask yourself: “Would others describe me as rigid or chaotic?”
It would show up in statements like this,
“Susie is really Type A about her parenting.”
“Joe gets ticked off easily.”
“Gina is pretty emotional, and you never know if what mood she will come in to work with.”
“Bob is a drill sergeant about his workout routine.”
“Frank is always up for a party, it’s hard to take him serious.”
You get my point?
When someone experiences you as “wound up tight” or “all over the place” there is a good chance you are living out of a past hurt or loss.
3. You can heal the hurt and reunite your right and left brain to live your best life.
One of the most powerful and hopeful discoveries in the last 20 years is the neuroplasticity of the brain!
Before recent research we thought that real fundamental change was not realistic if people had experienced traumatic losses early or repetitively in their lives.
Now we know that the brain keeps growing our entire lives and it is possible to create new neural pathways and not be held back because of the past.
So, if you are up for optimizing your brain, utilizing ALL parts of you, start with these 3 SIMPLE STEPS:
1. Decide and be committed to developing both sides of your brain as a way to become all that God designed you to be.
Right-brain development: My two favorites to grow your right brain are journaling and restorative [Yin] yoga.
Left-brain development: Establish routines and disciplines. Daily making your bed or saying no to unhealthy behaviors and replacing healthy ones creates structure. ** Start with small increments (i.e. 15 minutes or 2 days a week) versus multiple changes that require lots of time. The brain gets overwhelmed with too much too fast. One daily promise to yourself over time will yield greater results than trying multiple goals that require too much energy.
2. If you see tendencies to being either rigid or chaotic it might be time to look below the waterline in your life at your past hurts.
Consider seeing a counselor or life coach.
Also, consider attending our weekend intensive, Hardwired to Heal as this workshop is equivalent to 3-6 months of weekly therapy and can get you jumpstarted!
3. Learn more about God’s thoughtful and loving design of you and how to get more in sync with His plan to help you become all He designed you to be.
When we are seeking His original plan for our lives – we really do begin to live our best life -HIS best for us.
Start today and begin discovering the impact uniting your left and right brain can have on maximizing every area of your life!
Karla Hardin is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Passionate Living Counseling and Trauma Specialist for Hardin Life Resources
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