Change Your Brain: The Power Of Neuroplasticity And Braincare - Dr Tara Swart
Oct 20, 2022
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In this engaging conversation, Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and Chief Science Officer at Heights, delves into the transformative power of neuroplasticity. She shares her journey from medicine to coaching, emphasizing how understanding brain function can enhance personal and professional performance. The discussion covers practical strategies for improving brain health, including nutrition, exercise, and stress management techniques. Tara also highlights the profound impact of nature on mental well-being and the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence for resilience.
Neuroplasticity allows individuals to rewire their brains and adopt new ways of thinking that support their goals.
Practicing mindfulness, improving nutrition, and managing stress are essential for optimizing brain health and performance.
Developing emotional intelligence and stress resilience are crucial for professionals in high-stakes environments.
Belief and visualization are key components in achieving desired outcomes and creating opportunities.
Deep dives
Importance of Neuroplasticity in Brain Function
Neuroplasticity plays a crucial role in creating new neural connections and pathways in the brain. By repeatedly engaging in a specific behavior or thought pattern, the brain can establish a new pathway that becomes ingrained as the default way of thinking. This is similar to how a path is formed in a field after consistently walking on the same route. Understanding neuroplasticity can help individuals rewire their brains and adopt new ways of thinking that support their goals.
Dr. Tara Swart's Journey in Neuropharmacology and Psychiatry
Dr. Tara Swart earned her PhD in neuropharmacology and worked as a psychiatrist before transitioning into executive coaching and exploring the world of brain care. She combines her expertise in neuroscience, psychology, endocrinology, and microbiology to help improve brain function and overall well-being. She serves as the chief science officer for Heights, a brain care supplement company.
Practical Takeaways from Neuroscience and Neuroplasticity
Practicing mindfulness, improving nutrition, engaging in regular exercise, ensuring quality sleep, and managing stress are essential in optimizing brain health and performance. Deep breathing exercises and spending time in nature can also have a positive impact on reducing stress levels and rejuvenating the nervous system. Taking small steps consistently over time can lead to significant brain changes and improve overall well-being.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence and Stress Resilience
Developing emotional intelligence and stress resilience are crucial for professionals in high-stakes environments. Understanding and regulating our own emotions, as well as empathetically responding to others, are key aspects of emotional intelligence. Practices like deep breathing, mindfulness, and spending time in nature can help reduce stress levels and improve resilience. Additionally, focusing on foundational elements like sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hydration is vital for supporting overall brain health and stress management.
Vision boards for manifesting goals
Creating a vision board, also known as an action board, involves making a physical collage of images and phrases that represent your goals and desires. The vision board serves as a constant reminder of what you want to achieve. It is important to be intentional about the positioning and grouping of images on the board. By regularly looking at the vision board and visualizing the desired outcomes, your brain becomes more attuned to opportunities that can help you move closer to your goals. The science behind this lies in selective attention, selective filtering, and value tagging, where your brain focuses on what you consider important and allows you to notice and grasp opportunities related to your goals.
Mindful practices for stress reduction
Incorporating mindfulness into daily life can lead to significant stress reduction and improved well-being. Mindful practices can include paying attention to your breath, practicing mindful eating, spending time in nature, and engaging in activities such as journaling or barefoot walking. Mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment and appreciating the experience without judgment. Taking time to connect with loved ones and being fully present in conversations is also a valuable mindfulness practice. Engaging in these practices can help reduce cortisol levels and improve overall mental and emotional resilience.
The power of belief and visualization
Belief and visualization are key components in achieving desired outcomes. Believing in the possibility of your goals can help open doors and create opportunities. Visualization, such as creating a vision board, can further enhance belief by training the brain to focus on what you want. The brain's selective attention and filtering mechanisms allow you to notice and act upon opportunities that align with your goals. While some may question the impact of visualization due to potential confirmation bias, many individuals have experienced the manifestation of their goals through consistent belief, visualization, and taking aligned actions.
Lessons from relationships and personal growth
Personal growth and self-discovery are essential in creating fulfilling relationships. Taking time to understand oneself and engaging in practices such as mindfulness, gratitude, and resilience training can help develop emotional intelligence and maturity. Reflecting on past experiences and learning from them can also contribute to personal growth. The journey between relationships offers an opportunity to gain self-awareness, learn from mistakes, and become more aligned with personal values and desires. Finding a compatible partner who shares similar values and being open to new experiences can lead to fulfilling and harmonious relationships.
One of the brains superpowers is neuroplasticity - the ability to change and make new pathways as a result of experience. But how do you actually rewire your brain? Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, coach and writer who specialises in neuroplasticity and is the Chief Science Officer at braincare company Heights. In the conversation, we start off by talking about Tara’s journey through medicine to becoming a coach working at the intersection between neuroscience and business, before diving into how neuroplasticity works and the practical things we can learn from worlds of neuroscience, nutrition and braincare, to actively change our behaviour and improve our brain’s performance. Super interesting conversation and one of the biggest deep dives into the science yet, enjoy :)
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(00:00) Intro (02:48) How did we get here? (06:32) Deciding to leave medicine (14:00) How did you land on executive coaching? (19:24) How do neuroscience and business go together? (20:42) What can we do to improve our brain performance? (35:18) Understanding Neuroplasticity (34:40) How do you train your reaction to stress? (50:22) The importance of breath work and being in nature (01:00:20) Long term ways to build resilience and journaling (01:03:55) The power of magnesium (01:07:44) Scepticism about supplements (01:14:28) The gut-brain access and probiotics (01:24:56) The neuroscience behind mindfulness and the law of attraction
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