Why do you need to turn off your intellect?

Everything has its limits. Sometimes intelligence can be a burden, forcing one to analyse things to the point of paralysis. We need not have to assume that we must mull every major decision for hours on end. It is sometimes better to turn our attention to other matters and concentrate on things that make us feel successful – like a favourite hobby.

Of course, our brain needs to feel that progress is being made somewhere. But psychologists argue that if it feels right, it almost surely is right. Why?

The Mind is a powerful thing and in a second it can elevate or crush our mood because of the beliefs lurking behind our feeling. It is easy to get emotionally attached to things. We associate ourselves with Sports Teams,TV characters, a favourite dress or shirt, a

really delicious food or meal. Suddenly, we find ourselves emotionally invested.

Thought Catalogue

While there is “no button to push” to deactivate your thoughts, of course you can” create the right association to help you turn off your anxiety, to rest and/or sleep.

You can do the following exercises:

1.    Busy the brain with mental exercises. This helps your brain to focus away from your worries. It can be as simple, or not so simple, as meditation. It can be as simple as “thinking of fruits and vegetables with a certain Alphabetical letter, or else focus on a particular object, such as its colour, shape and what it is used for.

2.    Focus on the positive, forget the negative. You can think about what’s stealing your sleep or alternatively, boosting, in fact fuelling your anxiety.

3.    Creative visualisation is another way, as you visualise things in the positive side. This means seeing yourself nonjudgmentally. Picture yourself how would that look? Draw a picture in your mind and expand on it.

4.   Build on positive thoughts and actions, recognise and set boundaries to the triggers of negative thought process.

Do you need the brain to turn your attention to other matters?

You could get involved in a local political campaign, joining forces with neighbours to put your energy toward a humanitarian cause or finding a way you can make an even more powerful impact on your community through your work.

A burst of confidence and optimism related to the way you express your ideas and connect with friends and colleagues can do the trick. You may want to put yourself out there in a dynamic way.

                                                  

What are some other ways to make your brain to turn your attention?

An achievement motive is an impulse to master challenges and reach a higher standard of excellence. Both personality and situational factors influence achievement motivation among others.

Researchers often use the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to measure people’s need for achievement. The TAT consists of a set of ambiguous pictures.

Researchers ask subjects to make up stories about these pictures. Some of the related stories consistently contain themes that relate to achievement. Researchers consider these subjects to have a high need for achievement.

Personality Factors

High achievement motivation tends to lead to personality features. These include persistence, ability to delay gratification and competitiveness.

High achievers tend to be very persistent and work hard to attain goals they set themselves.

High achievers tend to have a greater ability to delay gratification in the short term in order to reach long term goals.

High achievers tend to select careers that give them opportunities to compete with other people.

Besides, expectation can also result in self-fulfilling prophesies. They visualise their success.

Situational Factors

Some situational factors also affect achievement motivation. They include the expectation of success – a feeling of self-efficacy and self confidence in their own ability to meet challenges effectively.

Besides, incentives reward people for their competence and motivate people to achieve.

Further, control over some of their work.  Thus, people are motivated to achieve only when they have or see the opportunity to achieve.

The decisive factor is the Power of Goals

When goals are specific or put it in another way, when goals are difficult enough to be challenging, but easy enough to be reachable, then motivation really works, and achievement is claimed.

Other ways to shut off our intellect?

Switch off our intellect is one thing but switching it back on again is yet another. The fear in our minds is what happens if we are unable to turn it on?

As much as we would like to think we are always in control of our own actions, a lot of human behaviour, mood and habit can be traced to involuntary reactions in the brain.

As researchers learn more about what’s going on inside our heads, they are finding light switches that control some of our most basic functions, many of which can be turned off. Thirst, hunger, consciousness, pain, violence, depression and insomnia among others. Retrieval is switch on and suppression is turn off.  

Without delving in the frontiers of neuroscience, our brains have both these switches. They have evolved to help us adapt in different environments and situations.

We will be hearing more about this science in the years to come.

Victor Cherubim