What is Neuroplasticity?

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is a common saying that we’ve all heard before. What if I told you that this concept is actually false? That’s right, no matter your age, you can master any new skill because your brain is constantly growing and learning. This is all thanks to a little something that we like to call neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity in a Nutshell

Neuroplasticity is a fancy way of describing the human brain’s miraculous way of constant growth and adaptation. It was once believed that at a certain age, our brain’s pathways become fixed, and stop growing. This belief has since been disproven.

New experiences, knowledge, and information are owed credit to our brains ability to adapt and change throughout life. That’s right, your brain literally grows every time you learn a new skill.

The belief that our brains stop growing after a certain age probably stems from the fact that your younger years are the most optimal time to learn new skills such as playing an instrument or learning a sport.

Just because childhood is the best time to master a skill doesn’t mean it is the only time. This is where the importance of neuroplasticity or the growth mindset comes in. With the right brain exercise and practice, you can keep growing your brain and even rewire it to make up for any negative thought patterns or narrowed thinking that you’ve developed over the years.

The Growth Mindset

Have you ever heard of growth mindset versus fixed mindset?

Growth mindset is the difference between giving up when you make a mistake and pushing past the challenges to keep trying. Embracing the challenges in life and getting back up when you fail, are some of the key components of having a growth mindset, versus a fixed mindset.

When you become aware of your thoughts, you can have power over your reactions to situations and even increase your tolerance to challenges. This increased tolerance can make you capable of pushing past challenging situations, helping you learn and grow. 

The more you use the brain the more it grows. So the more mental challenges you face, the more your brain capabilities continue to increase. Having the resilience to keep trying when challenges face you helps you keep growing and learning more and more.

Someone with more of a fixed mindset might give up when they face challenges, whereas someone with a growth mindset, will keep trying. When you first try a task it may feel difficult or even impossible, but once you achieve it, it gets easier. Each time you complete the same task after that, it will just continue to get easier.

The reality behind the growth mindset is that you are truly in charge of your brain. You get to decide how much you learn and grow and what you achieve.

Knowledge is Power

Have you ever felt like something just clicked?

Kind of like when you’re staring at a math problem or an essay prompt for hours and then finally, you seemingly magically understand the solution or the words finally start to flow.

That’s your brain, functioning, thriving, and growing.

When a task feels challenging, that is actually the feeling of your brain growing and learning.

Understanding the concept of neuroplasticity can give you the power to unlock your brains fullest potential. If you believe that your brain can’t grow anymore, then you’re closing the door on a whole world of information that could help you grow and function at your highest capacity.

We are only as efficient as we believe for ourselves to be.

Mastering a new skill causes more and more neurons to create pathways in the brain, kind of like a bridge connecting different areas.

This leads to the ability to learn and grow more and makes it easier to accomplish tasks that might have felt challenging at first. The more you learn, the more you can achieve. It’s kind of like a snowball effect!

Neuroplasticity and BIOGENICS®

BIOGENICS® might be your first step in rewiring your brain and keeping those pathways fresh and functional. This scientifically backed approach to overall wellness is rooted in a number of different holistic concepts that focus on healing the human mind and body as a whole.

When we think about wellness, we aren’t just worried about being physically well, being mentally well is just as vital.

Neuroplasticity is one of the fundamental principles behind BIOGENICS®. Our founders believe that you don’t have to settle for an unsatisfied life whether that means chronic illness, mental health issues, or an overall inability to manage life’s stressors. We know that every person has an endless potential, because the human mind is so incredibly powerful.

BIOGENICS® focuses strongly on the growth mindset approach. We know that you can achieve anything through the right amount of focus and determination.

We’ve seen the results first-hand. BIOGENICS® is like exercise for the brain, meditation practices and brain training help improve memory, focus, and can even help overcome anxiety, stress and depression.

Do you feel like you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?

If you tend to let life’s challenges stand in your way, it may be time to open your mind and accept that these challenges are a part of life.

Learning to embrace mistakes might be the best step you could take to grow, change, develop, and improve your overall wellness.