The Creative Domain:  Thinking.  Intellectual and Cognitive Wellness.

Hi!  Welcome back to The Zen Life.  In this issue we’ll discuss the first component of the Creative Domain of Wellness which is the way we think.  

Thinking consists of two main functions as it relates to wellness: Intellectual functioning and Cognitive functioning.  They are similar and both related to brain processes but are different in many important ways.

Let’s look at intellectual wellness first.  The easiest way to think about this area is “use it or lose it.”  This relates to the idea that keeping your mind active keeps it healthy.  The following short YouTube video references college students but is applicable to anyone.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WzgYsiGLbo

Intellectual wellness relates to ongoing growth and curiosity over the entire lifetime.  Engaging in activities such as keeping abreast of current events, reading, engaging in creative endeavors, doing puzzles, and any kind of learning increases critical thinking skills.  Did you know that the average person makes over 35,000 conscious decisions per day?!  As humans, we are prone to bias, distorted and irrational thinking which can skew these critical choices.  Thinking critically allows us to consider pros and cons, compare facts, consider others’ points of view, engage in active listening, and utilize creativity in our thought processes.  

Keeping your brain active provides many benefits including better memory, recall, and concentration, as well as increased problem-solving skills, and creativity.  

The second form of wellness in thinking is called cognitive wellness or how an individual thinks.  In its simplest form can be thought of as “stinkin’ thinkin’.”  This refers to all of the environmental stimuli an individual takes in over their lifetime.  This can come from the family you grew up with, your extended family, peers, teachers, and anything or anyone else you have had contact with.  

Based on information and impressions from caregivers when you are very young, and then others as you develop, we form ideas about who we are, how we are perceived by others, and our beliefs about the world.  These beliefs tend to be deeply ingrained, rigid, and applied broadly in our lives.  They may be true or false and can be either negative or positive and can affect the way we interact and engage with others and the world.  

The deeper beliefs we hold about ourselves, especially negative ones, can cause problems with functioning and are called core beliefs.  We support our core beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” with a variety of “rules” such as “There’s no sense even trying to succeed.  I know I’ll fail,” and cognitive distortions that have developed to keep the untrue belief alive.  

Cognitive distortions can be things like polarized thinking where we think in terms of people or things being “good or bad” leaving no room for anything in between, or catastrophizing which is thinking that something is way worse than it actually is.  The following YouTube video summarizes Stinking Thinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMOWWhY6X_Y

As you can imagine, this kind of thinking can cause problems with wellness.  Negative core beliefs can lead to depression, anxiety, problems in relationships, and the inability to realize your full potential.  There are many things you can do to combat this type of thinking.  The easiest way is to catch yourself the next time you have a negative thought about yourself and follow these steps: 
– Write the thought down. 
– Is there evidence that this thought might not be true?
– Is there another way of viewing the situation?
– What is the effect of believing this thought?  What would happen if I changed my belief?
– What would I tell a close friend or family member who was in this situation and had this thought?
– After considering all of the above, write an alternate or balanced thought that counters the original negative thought.  

It takes courage and perseverance to change deeply held patterns of thought, but it CAN be done.  

Next post:  We will continue our exploration of aspects of the Creative Self and look at Emotional Wellness.  See you soon!!