can you train your brain to be very strong like you can train muscles in your body?

[liljonbon]

can you train your brain to have less fear, to be constantly positive, to always solve problems, to be able to learn more, even tho you trained it a bit negative from a young age is it still possible to retrain your mind and turn it into a power house. if so how do you do that? does it take long?

[Eric Revelin]

It's possible. Your past doesn't matter; if you're capable of realizing that you'd like to change and you know what changes you'd like to see it's just a matter of drawing a line between those two points.

How long it takes will vary by the individual. The methods, too, will vary. You'll need to find something that resonates with you and complements your specific goals.

Certain things will be constants. Say you're developing courage; no matter how you do it you'll have to confront your fears at some point. There's no way around it. Some of the ways you might do this is by writing your honest opinions in letter form if you're afraid to honestly express yourself, or you can try striking up random conversations with people if you're afraid of social interaction.

A key thing from my examples is that you want to take manageable steps. Try to do too much and you'll fall short, try to do too little and you'll find yourself in a rut. If you're scared to death of being honest with people the first step is being honest with yourself, so a good way to do that is to write your uncensored opinion on a piece of paper. If you lack confidence in social situations, striking up random conversations is a good place to start because they rarely go in depth and you probably won't see a person more than once so you're always starting from a clean slate.

Two other important aspects are persistence and flexibility. Just like working a muscle, you'll need to be very consistent with your efforts and you need to adjust the weight gradually. IE, once you're comfortable talking to random people, try striking up a conversation with that woman you've been admiring from down the hall.

You need to be flexible because not all of your efforts are going to be successful. You can't allow yourself time to get discouraged; you need to take it in stride. Keep what worked, toss what didn't work, and formulate a new strategy. Think of it like this: water flows around obstacles, it doesn't repeatedly slam against them. That's what you want to do.

To give more advice than that I'd need specifics. Good luck with whatever you mean to accomplish.

[WordKeeper]

Dr. Jeffrey Scwartz is a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD. His studies lead him to investigate the neuroplasticity of the brain - the ability for the brain to change its functioning.

His book The Mind and The Brain: The neuroplasticity of the brain. puts forth a fascinating description of his theory and how he arrived at it. He describes a Four Step process for changing the patterns of the brain and uses fMRIs to demonstrate the actual changing of the brain function. Though his focus is OCD the Four Step process works on other thought processes.

Here is a website link that gives a very brief description of the Four Steps:
Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz' Four Steps - Westwood Institute for Anxiety Disorders.

[TonyToneTone]

Yes, it's so important I did a three part write-up about it:
Tony's Tips for Success: Training Your Brain for Success (Part 1 of 3)

Tony's Tips for Success: Training Your Brain for Success (Part 2 of 3)

Tony's Tips for Success: Training Your Brain for Success (Part 3 of 3); Vision Boards, Statements, & Wallpapers

[Eisho]

Originally Posted by liljonbon

can you train your brain to have less fear, to be constantly positive, to always solve problems, to be able to learn more, even tho you trained it a bit negative from a young age is it still possible to retrain your mind and turn it into a power house. if so how do you do that? does it take long?

If you recognize that your brain has been trained a certain way from your childhood then yes, you are already half way there to retraining it. Recognizing that you have been conditioned - and that you can recondition yourself - is vital as a first step.

Break down the areas that you wish to see improvement in and then create a plan that will enhance your performance in that area. If you want to have less fear, for example, begin meditation and examine what provokes fear. Put yourself in evermore fear-inducing situations until you begin to recognize that fear is just a reaction to an adrenaline rush. You can label that reaction 'fear' or 'excited'. Make the mental switch. Study about people who have overcome their fears and develop the same habits.

Cheers,

Eisho

[funchy]

YES!

This is what therapists who use Cognitive Therapy do for people with emotional issues. Self improvement is do-it-yourself form of cognitive therapy.

Using your brain strengthens your intelligence/speed of learning. Since going back to college as an adult, I feel so much smarter. Brain is like a muscle, and if you don't use it, it weakens.