How Your Mind Shapes Your Brain

Every second of your life, every single thing of which you are aware – sounds, sights, thoughts, feelings – and even that of which you’re not aware – unconscious mental and physical processes – can be directly mapped to what’s happening in your brain. Over time, patterns emerge and actually shape your brain’s form and function. What you do, experience, think, hope, and imagine physically changes your brain through what’s called experience-dependent neuroplasticity.
​
Every minute of every day, you are literally shaping your brain.
In the article, What Stress Does to Your Brain, Jo Marchant, PHd in genetics and medical microbiology and author of Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body, explains:
​
Your brain reflects the way that you think throughout your life. You kind of shape it by your thoughts and your behaviors. If you play violin for eight hours a day, then the parts of the brain responsible for helping you to play the violin will get larger. If you’re thinking stressful thoughts for the whole day then those parts of the brain are going to get larger and other parts of the brain will deteriorate. Continue reading.

Originally posted on The Best Brain Possible.