This week I presented to several groups of 4th graders (part of career week presentations I was honored to share with my family) and I got to spend the morning talking about brains.
Kids ask the best questions 🙂
One student raised his hand and asked something I wasn't expecting (but was so happy he asked):
"Does what we do with our eyes affect our brain?"
I told him 'yes!'.. more powerfully than most people realize!
The link between our eyes and our internal state is one of the most immediate levers we have.
When our eyes are locked on something close, with constant micro-decisions to make (every tap and swipe is a small choice the system has to process), we keep ourselves in a faster brainwave range.
That range has its place. It helps us focus and solve problems on demand.
But when it becomes the only gear we know how to access, it shows up as mental chatter and that "can't turn it off" feeling so many of us live with.
When our eyes have somewhere quieter to land, the system follows.
A tree out the window.
The light changing on a hillside.
Water moving slowly.
Even closing the eyes* (for some people) instantly activates a slower, self-regulating brainwave (Alpha).
*A note on that: some people find that closed eyes can be dysregulating - and I've watched the brainwaves to validate it - so it's not always a way to slow down brainwaves (it's about experimenting and tuning in to how things feel).
Those kinds of views offered by nature don't ask anything of us.
There's nothing to respond to. No algorithm is pre-set to get us to buy, decide, react. And the speed of our internal world starts to settle.
So as you head into the weekend, here's a small thing to try.
Notice where your eyes are right now, and what they're being asked to do.
See if you can give them something slower to rest on, even for a few minutes at a time.
Your nervous system tends to follow.
Wishing you brainwaves, heart rhythms and eye movements for a weekend aligned with your desires....
Stefanie
P.S. If you want some short, specific practices for shifting your own brainwave and nervous system states on demand, Module 7 of Teach the Nervous System is built for exactly that. A set of micro-practices you can reach for when you notice you've been in the fast gear too long. Grab it here→
And if you've been wanting to go much deeper into the brain and nervous system science behind all of this, the kind of precision that strengthens your work as a practitioner, the Brain Science Foundations Toolkit is $77 off through Sunday. Find it here→
