Strategies for Keeping Our Prefrontal Cortex Online
As we notice acts of kindness and allow them to guide us into new behaviors and habit loops, we replace worry and anxiety with altruistic thinking.
MENTAL HEALTH MINUTE
In times of uncertainty, modern humans have a need for information and often turn to the news, social media, and other sources to make sense of that information. Dr Judson Brewer explains the science behind these coping mechanisms and offers tips to navigate uncertainty and to avoid pitfalls of rumination that often takes on a life of its own.
Furthermore, he says, as we notice acts of kindness and allow the examples of others to guide and inform positive behaviors, we adopt new habit loops. We may also replace worry and anxiety with more constructive patterns of thinking.
Dr Brewer is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist. He is Associate Professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown School of Public Health and Psychiatry and Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. He is founder of MindSciences, a Massachusetts-based company that develops digital therapeutic apps.
