WHAT IS EXECUTIVE FUNCTION?

There are a few core elements to maintaining a daily mindfulness experience. The most important one, in my opinion, is sustaining your Executive Function (EF).

Our brains are highly complex organisms that scientists are just beginning to understand. One part that has emerged is our Neocortex. ‘Neo’ is Greek for new, as this is the newest part of our brain’s evolution. It is this part of the brain that is involved in our higher-order brain functions. This is where Executive Function resides.

Think of EF as the command center of the brain, or “Mission Control” if you will. When online and intact our Mission Control coordinates many regions of the brain to help us complete the present mission with the best-intended outcome.

How does it do this? Cognitive flexibility, the mental capacity to switch between thinking about two different concepts or multiple concepts simultaneously, helps bring forth the best solutions. Executive Function utilizes our working memory allowing us to draw from experiences to enhance our problem-solving abilities. EF also brings forth the ability to shut out distractions, known as cognitive inhibition, keeping us focused and present. With all of these players on board, EF allows us to plan and organize strategically to make the best use of our time and resources.

Simply put, EF allows us to be intentional and responsive to the world, so we can live life by our desired design.

The flip-side. What happens when EF goes offline or is downregulated? We literally lose control of ourselves, drop into our default survival mode, become impulsive, driven by our emotional states, and react (‘acting without thinking’) to the present moment.

When making choices with this unorchestrated and uncontrolled state of mind, we are more likely to regret the words spoken, the actions taken and their results.

So let’s make a deal with ourselves to never react emotionally. Instead, get mindful. Take a step back, do several cycles of deep, slow and rhythmic breathing, and then check back in. If you are no longer bothered, you are ready to make a decision. However, if still agitated, you will wait until the storm of emotions passes (and this could take hours even days) before making a choice. This deal with ourselves will prove valuable and I have personally found this method to yield satisfying results.

The better choice is to keep our Executive Function intact and online so we can continue functioning at our best. We all have this option and these are the decisions we’ll need to make if we want to remain intentional and living life by design

The Pillars for Maintaining Executive Function

• Proper sleep. Most adults require 7-8 hours every night.
• Mitigating stress and anxiety. What tools and practices are being used here. This also includes being aware of what triggers my stress and how to avoid those pitfalls.
• Staying fit and healthy. This includes exercising daily, eating healthy foods, and staying hydrated
• Socializing. Being around and connecting with other people.
• Significantly reducing alcohol, drug and sugar intake.

If I fall short of just one of these five, I go offline and downgrade into my defaults of emotional reactivity.  However, when I’m conscious of maintaining these pillars, I set myself up for success.

So what is it going to be? Being intentional with your time and energy or being reactive? Living by design or through your default habits? Yes, this is going to take some work and willpower and for me, it’s worth all the work, time and patience.

Do you need help getting started? Head over to our training page (www.shitftoflow.com/training) where you can learn some powerful mindfulness tools to keep your EF online and working for you.

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