Today is Friday. After a full week of work, it is understandable to experience low energy. I started my day with meditating, washing the dishes, and cooking breakfast as usual. Although nothing was out of the ordinary, I felt low on energy, which made me feel irritable and less patient. Starting the day on low energy puts us in a vulnerable position because we have to squeeze out our last bits of energy just to get through the day. Then, we tend to perceive any minor change as a nuisance because handling the unexpected is taxing on the brain. Habits or routines run automatically, not involving the prefrontal cortex or the Thinking Brain, but change demands the brain to think.

Emotional management is critical to our productivity and happiness. Negative emotions can soak up our mental energy. It also starts a downward spiral that damages our work, health, and relationships – the three most important things to our happiness. Emotions are highly contagious, affecting those we care about. Today, my kitties also seemed to sense that I was in a bad mood. They stayed unusually quiet and didn’t demand playtime. In his book “the Upward Spiral,” Dr. Alex Korb suggests that small changes in our lifestyle can rewire the brain and create an upward spiral.

Our emotions are the results of communication between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. Dr. Korb calls the limbic system “the Feeling Brain” and the prefrontal cortex “the Thinking Brain.” The No.1 priority of the brain is to keep us alive. So, the Feeling Brain gets scared easily and the Thinking Brain gets worried easily. In general, the brain is wired to pay more attention to negative information than positive because it is better to be safe than sorry.

Emotions are there to ensure our survival by driving us to act. When the Feeling Brain gets anxious or scared, the Thinking Brain can calm it down. We don’t have conscious control over the Feeling Brain, but we do over the Thinking Brain. Unfortunately, the Thinking Brain gets tired easily, so it is stingy with its energy. To nudge the brain to work with us for our goals, we need to treat it strategically.

Here are some tips to create the Upward Spiral that I learned from Dr. Alex Korb’s book, the Upward Spiral.

1. Sleep well. Sleep cleans the brain and increases dopamine and endorphins, strengthening memory, lowering stress, and boosting mood.
2. Hug someone or pet furry friends. We are social animals. Physical contact comforts us by releasing feelgood chemicals – oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.
3. Take a walk. Movement or exercise strengthens the brain and increases serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, lifting mood and enhancing stress resilience.
4. Focus on what you can control. Feeling in control puts us at ease. Forget about results or the future. Just see what you can do here and now and do it.
5. Make a decision and proceed. Indecisiveness wastes limited brain resources, tiring you out. Making a decision itself eases the nerves. Do one thing for you a day!

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