Your brain. Your ideas. Your emotions.
We spend most of the time in our lives trying to build a good routine and find stability, but eventualities find the cracks in our structure, and it seems like we have to start all over again.
We are human, and developing a pattern gives us a sense of comfort. We think like this because when we are able to recognize something, we assume we are able to predict the outcome of it. Since ancient times, our ancestors began studying the movement of the stars to be able to forecast the best time to plan activities, like planting seeds or collecting food for when winter came.
Now we live in an era in which technology advances exponentially, and we can study our environment with much greater precision. All this technology, though, hasn’t necessarily helped us deal with some of the misfortunate events in life, such as getting your heart broken, losing your favorite thing, the death of a pet or procrastination.
The human brain is a spectacular and precise machine — a computer of sorts. It is able to process chemical stimuli, learn, decode and retain information. It also runs a code to make us who we are. The code is encrypted in a language complicated enough to evade logic when necessary; the language is also meaningful enough to give us a sense of purpose.
This is also known as emotion. We see a level of emotionality throughout the animal kingdom, but ours seems to be the most complex. Is it because we have our internal logic constantly working around, and sometimes at odds with, our emotions?
In our lives, we are going to encounter problems and situations that will interfere with our logic and reasoning. Some of us will try to control them or fight them, and some of us will try to embrace the situations only with our emotions. Is there any healthy balance?
In chemistry, the golden rule will always be equivalent exchange. You will receive the same output you put into the system. This law can be applied in many ways to our lives. For example, the way you treat your friends is likely the way you will be treated back. We could also use this law to our advantage in dealing with out-of-the-ordinary situations.
By understanding this rule, you can learn how to control your brain and your anxiety.
If you set a small goal you are able to achieve every day and then slowly increase the amount of input required, you will find yourself gaining more self-confidence, bigger rewards, a sense of balance and comfort. For example, if you have problems staying interested in a class, try to pay full attention during 50 minutes and then reward yourself by doing something you really enjoy afterward. If you are dealing with an emotional situation, set daily goals to take you out of that mental state.
Your brain is yours. Get yourself to progress by filling your brain with new ideas. Learn to master your emotionality by slowly challenging and rewarding yourself. Learn to dissociate from the outside and reside on the inside.
Andrea Taboada is a UF microbiology senior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
