The Year of the Brain. A letter to the New Year.

Dear New Year,

We finally meet! This meeting has been hard-won. The last year did its darndest to keep us apart. From an extended hospital stay, with my one year old baby in the midst of a global pandemic to a news cycle dominated by social injustice and people who looked like me getting killed in the streets or even in their homes; I was justly unsure. Some of my loved ones and loved ones of my friends, sadly, will never meet you as yesteryear has stolen them from us; along with 3.2 million others. What a ghastly number to see in black and white!

Moving on and letting go, New Year, I will like to savor you. I want to live in every second this year, rather than jumping from moment to moment, fear to fear, news cycle to cycle.

This year is the year to stop neglecting our brains. Every year we make resolutions about diets, starting businesses, creative projects, improving our relationships, etc.

Rarely, however, do we stop and think about taking care of our brain?! Ironic, since our brain health impacts ...everything. With all the stresses of the last year. It is time to start caring for our brains.

I’m making this year the year of brain health, because the brain is a major key in reaching my individual goals.

The brains network of default, reward, affect and executive control can work with or against us. Executive control is what helps humans delay gratification to achieve long term goals.

One of my goals is to buy and consume less, but only by taking care of my brain will I generate energy and willpower to make choices that will help me stay accountable, rather than just mindlessly shop and consume.

By making improved brain health my overall goal, my many other goals fall under the same umbrella and actually reduces the load on my brain’s control network. Therefore, having brain health as the overarching goal will further my endeavors without the threat of burnout.

Another item I’d is like to implement in the pursuit of a healthier brain is drinking more water. Last year I did a terrible job drinking enough water, this is a very basic task but one I must be more diligent about.

Studies show that dehydration decreases cognitive performance. That makes perfect sense because our beautiful, sexy brain is composed of around 75 percent water! Water also aids in delivering nutrients to the brain AND removing toxins!

This really hits home for me, New Year, because a close family member has battled brain cancer. Additionally, last year, my mom, sister and I had to spend a very long, stressful and frustrating time convincing my father to get an MRI after it became apparent that he was displaying signs of dementia.

Seeing the difference between a healthy brian and one ravaged, makes me all the more determined to make this year the year of the brain.

New year, the day we met, I set multiple, daily alarms to remind myself to drink throughout the day and continue to make water my primary drink!

Exercise is another important aspect of brain health, in addition to daily walks I've taken up ping pong! Brain disorder specialist and psychiatrist Dr Daniel Amen explains why ping-pong/table tennis is the best brain sport “the game is great for hand-eye coordination and reflexes (cerebellum and parietal lobes). You have to focus (prefrontal cortex) so you can track the ball through space (parietal lobes and occipital lobes), figure out spins (parietal lobes and occipital lobes), and plan shots and strategies (prefrontal cortex and cerebellum). Then you have to follow through and execute those tactics successfully (prefrontal cortex and cerebellum). All the while, you have to stay calm so you don’t get too nervous on game point (basal ganglia). And you can’t dwell on that point you blew a few minutes ago (anterior cingulated gyrus) or blow your top when you make a mistake (temporal lobes). It is like aerobic chess.”

Reducing processed sugar is on the agenda in my quest to show my brain the respect and care it is due. New Year, it is true that the brain is the organ that uses half of the sugar energy in the body and it's primary fuel is glucose.

However the sugar found in fruits, grains and vegetables affects your brain much differently than processes sugar found in pretty much everything packaged.

I therefore plan to eat less of my favorite chocolate bar and more berries Compounds found in berries, not only protect the brain from oxidative stress, but also counteract advanced glycation end-products called AGEs, a bio-marker implicated in aging and the development, or worsening, of many degenerative diseases, such as dementia, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Anthocyanins found in red, blue and purple berries can cross the blood-brain barrier to protect the brain cells from aging and also diseases such as cancer. Additionally berries are delicious!

Relationships impact brain health and brain health or lack thereof impacts relationships. Social interaction, fulfilling romantic relationships and friendships can protect our brain against age-related cognitive impairment.

This is the reminder I need to show up at my best with my family and friends. I take responsibility for what I bring to those relationships and the symbiosis of how we interact with each other. I plan on checking up on friends and family, initiating meaningful contact and loving on my loved ones as much as possible.

Meditation has been shown to improve the brain. My form of meditation is less Om and more quietly and gently focusing on things and people I am grateful for.

Lastly I will not be renewing my. Netflix subscription! I need to take back control and let my brain reach it’s potential rather than being a consumer who is controlled by an algorithm.

Balance is key, I know I won't be perfect but I am training my brain to do hard things. Each time I fail, I will start again because the truth is, we don't need a new year to make changes. Each second is a chance to begin anew. Tick Tock.

Truly, Thorn Everbloom🧠🧠🧠