20221117 : "Changed my mind..."

It's a phrase I have come across many times from everyone. "I changed my mind". I have used it many times too...

But what do we mean by it?

I am sure there are many exceptions to this, but most often it probably means we have chosen to do something a bit more comfortable than the other option. A bit safer than the other option. A bit more familiar than the other option. A bit more confident than the other option. etc., etc.

We don't do it very consciously too. I think our minds have that 'safety bias' built in for our protection and safety.

But do we need that protection anymore...? 

When I had my stroke, I was very unlucky with where it occurred but very lucky with what it did. I mean, yes, it rendered the body very useless but left the mind in very good condition (so I think obviously. I don't know if others will concur 😂)

Over the last few years, the left side of the body has been making progress - while it has been painfully slow in absolute terms, it has been very quick when compared with the right side where there has been little to none. 

There has been very little progress with the right upper leg (it's still dead wood below the knee), absolutely no progress with right hand, I am not able to make out with the torso - but going by the standing balance and strength, absolutely minimal there also. Heck, even my tongue moves better on the left side than the right side. Same with my face, cheek, lips, etc, etc.

Going by the feel of the progress, I think ( and this is what my assessment is - i don't know what the medical fraternity thinks). This is what I think - the right side of the brain stem (which connects to and controls the left side of the body), whilst it was damaged, the damaged tissues could (to a certain extent) be revived over a period of time with regulated blood flow.

However, the tissues on the left side of the brain stem (which controls the right side of the body), suffered irreversible and irreparable damage. When I stroked, the blood flow was completely blocked (by the massive clot in the bascilar artery), which I think took ~7 hrs to remove the clot. Even as a layman, it is straightforward to know that no tissue in the body/ brain can survive without blood flow (oxygen) for that long.

It is safe for me to assume that the tissues well and truly died!

So, by extension, the right side of the body was well - well and truly dead as well. 

I know what you are thinking - what do you mean dead? It would have decomposed then isn't it.

Well, we can have the heart pumping, the lungs breathing, every organ functioning, but if the brain doesn't function, we are legally dead. Afaik, in every country in the world, if you are brain dead, they can legally pull the plug! and start harvesting if we have agreed to it. 

Why is all this relevant to the story I started with? With "changing our minds?". I think that distinction was needed to establish the difference between my "mind" and my "brain". My mind is fine, my brain isn't! 

It's a very strange relationship between the mind and the brain. The mind needs the brain to get (subconscious/autopilot) things done on one side of the coin and on the other side of the coin, the brain needs the mind to do everything concious . They are not the same entities but cannot do without each other!

Nothing worked on the right side because the corresponding part of the brain was dead.

Anyway, coming back to the main story 🙂...

Over the past year or so, there have been very minimal movements on the right side of my body (like I mentioned, thighs, hip, the triceps of the right arm, etc). Whilst there has been very minimal movements, it still has started to move hasn't it...

What does that mean? The brain tissues were well and truly dead!

Well, They are well and truly dead for good. I think this is a different part of the brain (I don't know which part). Some part which either did nothing before or did something else earlier, which is changing and learning to do things from scratch. It had absolutely no idea before, but the mind through constant coaxing and cajoling is growing this ability .

For all practical purposes, I can say it is a brand new brain that is growing. The mind is the same, but the brain (that part) is new.

Now, that was/is a broken brain. Imagine what can be done by a good and healthy brain.

I think we have to keep the brain regularly exercised and in shape for this. Yes, I think it is not just the body that needs good nourishment and regular exercise to stay in good shape.

Why is it important - remember old age happens to everyone, lost memories, forgetfulness, slowing down of everything, even extreme brain degeneration leading to dementia, etc.

So, I think we need to nourish the brain and exercise it regularly to be reliably by our sides till the end.

Nourishment - I think the food for the brain (apart from what we eat of course) is really thoughts from the mind. I am sure there is enough and more about having positive thoughts and a balanced mind. So I ll leave it to Google to complete that part...

How do we exercise the brain?

And that's where the story I started with links in! 🙂

I think (and feel very strongly) that the brain can only get exercised by doing new things and trying to learn new things. 

Conversely, the more we do routine and familiar things, things move from conscious to subconscious and the brain doesn't exercise it's abilities.

Which is what we do when we choose to do familiar things, comfortable things, routine things, seemingly "safe" things.

When was the last time we exercised the brain? We did something new, we learnt a new language, picked up a new hobby. Did something completely different from what we usually do, etc...

 Instead, we choose more and more to stick to our ways. "It's not me", "it's not like me to do that", "it's not my cup of tea" etc. Phrases which we get more and more familiar with as we add the years to our tally. 

It's very strange - "safety bias" - the very thing the mind developed through the course of evolution - for safety and security to protect the body, was the very thing that sowed the seeds of degeneration of the brain.

But if we think about it, probably 99.99% of the folks who are reading this won't have to worry about physical safety and security and many other varieties of safety and security also. Yet that is the built-in bias that influences all our decisions for us.

Is it time to recognise this and next time we have to make some choice, ask ourselves if we are doing so because it is the better choice to pick or the seemingly "safer" choice... 

Choose to pick the unfamiliar. Choose the uncomfortable.

Choose learning over comfort.

Choose positive nervousness over confidence.

Choose to exercise the brain for longevity...