If you find yourself asking why you are supposed to do something, rebelling at setting or keeping a schedule and prefer hands-on activities, you are probably already a right-brain thinker, according to Intelegen Inc., a company specializing in brainwave training. But if you find yourself getting lost in the details, prefer theory over action and find yourself in a rut when you need new solutions to problems, you may need to train your left brain to disengage.
Kitchen Sink
Do things that are completely unrelated if you are having trouble writing an essay or generating a solution to a problem, advises Martha Beck, a life coach and monthly columnist for O: The Oprah Magazine. This works especially well if you get away from your workplace, classroom, computer or home. Take a walk in the park, go sledding with your children, go to a new restaurant or coffee shop and order something you have never tried before.
Read a few books or articles on topics that are not related to the problem, advises Beck. When you feel relaxed, think about the problem again, listing any new ideas. If you still haven't found an inspiration, relax and enjoy the day a little longer.
Plug into Your Social Network
Content and graphics creation are right-brain activities, says Fortune 50 Sales and Marketing Manager Jeff Korhan. (Reference 3) Korhan advises brainstorming with fellow creators to develop new ideas and apply them to your business and personal growth. Listen to music files while you list thoughts, images and feelings. Cut pictures that illustrate your inner vision from magazines, newspapers or boxes of family photos. Arrange everything in a collage in a story-board format.
Create an image file with anything that provokes a strong feeling or memory. Use your images in a slide show that makes a statement about your beliefs or reflects your ideals to share with your social network. Challenge your friends and relatives to create image montages that respond to yours.
Rest and Relaxation
A good night's sleep is the single most important brain exercise you can perform. It takes at least eight hours of sleep after you learn a new skill before you will improve, says sleep researcher Sarah Ledoux of the Bryn Mawr College Center for Science in Society website Serendip.
If you are sleep-deprived, yoga can help. While not a substitute for a full eight hours' sleep, yoga can improve symptoms of anxiety, depression and epilepsy, clearing the brain for creative activity, according to Science Daily.
References
- Intelligen, Inc.: Left vs. Right--Which Side Are You on?
- Truthforce!: Creativity Boost--How to Tap into Right-Brain Thinking
- Jeff Korhan: Is Social Media a Left or Right Brain Activity?
- Bryn Mawt College: Center for Sciene in Society--Effects of Sleep Deprivation
- "Science Daily": Yoga May Elevate Brain GABA Levels
