Brain enhancement, otherwise known as “neural enhancement” or “brain boosting” is the newest health fad to hit the market. But it does have its critics who believe that we need to spend some time thinking first about its physiological and ethical consequences before we accept its techniques.

There are two sides of the argument revolving around brain enhancement. On the positive side of the coin, some believe that we stand to breed a new generation of geniuses through brain boosting techniques. They believe there is nothing wrong with brain enhancement practices since it is just another way for people to improve themselves. But the downside of the argument is that we may be creating a race of monsters, if we’re not careful.

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Most of us find it hard to express our feelings, because voicing out what we feel is difficult for most. Oftentimes, when we try to say what we want to say, we end up being tongue-tied, misunderstood, or worse, we end up saying the wrong thing. So instead of risking  exposing ourselves to humiliation or rejection, we tend to keep everything to ourselves. Keeping our feelings to ourselves could harm us health-wise. Bottling up emotions has psychological and physical consequences: things that we would  do well to avoid. 

If you do not want to risk getting rejected, there are ways for you to let go of your emotions without needing to talk to anyone. Below are some suggestions on what you can do to release those bottled-up emotions, minus the criticism you might get if you open up to someone else.

Start a Journal. Keep a journal on hand whenever you need to discharge any emotional turmoil. With today’s technology era, where writing using a paper diary is considered passé, creating a blog or online journal is the rage. This is a fun, albeit more public alternative to pen and paper. Whichever you choose, the important thing is that you use the journal as a tool for catharsis. Writing down what you feel purges you of everything you’ve been keeping inside. If you are a person who really craves privacy, don’t leave your (paper) journal lying around. If you chose to make a blog, don’t give your blog’s URL or address to anyone. If you are about to talk about a very private, very sensitive issue, it is advisable to use a diary instead, or a blog that has an option for private posts or password-locked content. James W. Pennebaker PhD, author of the book “Opening Up,” stressed that “If we can create a cohesive personal narrative of our lives and if we can link up our emotions with specific events, then we have the power to take control of how those emotions and events affect our lives.” 

Engage in Creative Dramatics. This is most advisable if you have your own room. Just face a mirror and talk to yourself on how you feel at the moment. You can even pretend you are talking to the object of your emotions. Say what you want to say, and censor nothing. Who knows, it just may hone your acting skills.

Write a Letter. Are you dying to let this guy know how you feel? Or do you want to confront your parents about how bad you feel about their stringent rules? If you can’t muster enough guts to talk to these significant others face to face, why not write a letter addressed to them?  Say everything you want to say then seal and keep it, unless you genuinely want to let them know how you feel. 

Unleash Your Creative Side. If you can’t say it, write it. Write it in prose or poetry. However you want to express your feelings, just go and write! You just may have an inner Ernest Hemingway or Elizabeth Barrett Browning in you? According to a study by Boysun and Smyth, “The simple act of writing about bad times can be a potent, and low cost, method of relieving pain and symptoms of chronic illnesses.” Whoever thought writing could be close to a panacea?. 

Finding ways to release your emotions in a way that need not involve another is limited only by your imagination. If you are the religious type, and your beliefs involve prayer, you can talk to your Supreme Being about your feelings. If you are in a belief that does not have a concept of a Higher Being, then you can meditate your strong emotions away. The bottom line is that you have an outlet for your emotions. Don’t wait for your emotions to be displaced on someone else or for it to eat you up. Express them, and move on. You can never go wrong with that.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you have a genie at your disposal?  You know, that gigantic magical creature appearing from the opaque smoke of Aladdin’s lamp who can grant three out of this world wishes?  Oh, how you’d love to give up a limb to purchase such an impressive product, right?

Fame, fortune, good health, loving relationships…all these would then be yours for the taking.  It’s like staring at a catalogue of the universe and pointing out the ones you want to be delivered at your doorstep.

But all those are just wishful thinking!

Well, not exactly.

There is actually a secret kept hidden from men that can allow the realization of their deepest desires and aspirations.  The secret is creative visualization.

Basically, creative visualization harnesses the power of your inner mind by converting your abstract thoughts into concrete reality.  It is founded on the premise that whatever exists in the physical level must first take place in a higher plane, which is the mental level.  Just take a look at the visual masterpieces of some of the greatest artists known to mankind like Michaelangelo, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.  Before they have picked up their respective paintbrushes, mixed the paint in their palettes or set up their reliable easels, they already have a well-defined image in their mind of what they are about to paint, one that is bursting with different vibrant shades.  They just didn’t go about splashing random colors on their canvass and prayed for the best.

Just like them, it would take serious effort and intense concentration to achieve your masterpiece.  Here are some guidelines for a calming creative visualization.

First, seek out your comfort zone.  Whether you prefer to meditate in silence at a church, a secluded oratory, a tranquil temple, in your disarranged cubicle or even in the comforts of your own bedroom, the most important thing you have to remember is that you have to be at ease.  Noise should be reduced at a minimum so that you can shut out from your actual environment.

Second, decide on your goal.  What is your pressing need for the moment?  If it is good health, then focus on attaining a healthy body. Imagine your medical examinations with positive outcomes and laboratory results on a normal level.  If you want abundance, imagine cash coming in your house.  Conjure images of checks in your name arriving at your mailbox.  Should you decide to heal a broken relationship, visualize yourself shaking hands with your partner.  Just create a distinct mental image of what you really want and let it stay on your mind.

Third, give positive feelings to your mental image. Be optimistic. Suffuse yourself with pure, unadulterated joy during that moment.  Feel exhilaration, excitement and peace.  Strip yourself of all the negative vibrations.  Let go of heartaches and heartbreaks.

Be consistent in performing this exercise.  If possible, set aside a few minutes of your time every day, preferably upon waking up in the morning and before going to sleep at night.  This will solidify your expectations and put you in the right mood as you go through the motions of your daily life.  Believe that the best will happen to you and your dreams will be realized sooner than expected.

Can you still recall the cartoon series featuring Wily Coyote and the Roadrunner?

“Fast” brings back the image of the Roadrunner zooming past the obstacles laid out by Wily Coyote.

Speed may allow you to arrive at your intended destination; but along the way, were you able to take note of the things that you may have missed while speeding along the fast lane? As in driving, zooming in fast does not give enough opportunity to see and enjoy the view. The same can be said about learning.

Much of what you learn can be acquired through reading. The simple activity of getting in a comfortable position and start reading a book of your choice opens a new world for you. Reading enables you to tap into the minds of great people.

The more you read, the more you know. In the hope of reading more books, some attempt fast track reading. It is believed that the faster you read, the more you cover.

Fast track reading may involve reading by phrases and concepts compared with the word-for-word method. Fast track reading enables you to cover more pages with the same rate. However, one limitation of this method of learning is that you tend to remember only a small portion of the main idea. There is danger that you might miss the important details in the book.

There is a solution for this. Few people are aware of this seldom-talked about technique in fast learning. This is based on the principle that the mind thinks in pictures.

Learning is accelerated when you “see” the whole idea of the write-up or book. Seeing “live pictures” of ideas and thoughts of the writer makes reading experiential and unforgettable. When you see nothing while reading, you learn nothing. Fast reading becomes useless.

This technique is called visualization. Visualization is vital to quick learning. Visualization in reading is like constructing a jigsaw puzzle where pieces are put together to form the whole picture. The whole thing not only “appears,” but actually “comes alive” before you. All of these happen in the realm of the mind.

Just going through the motions of fast reading can give you a hazy picture of the subject matter. But like a mist, this picture often quickly evaporates into thin air. Fast reading without visual pictures often informs but very seldom impresses.

Impressions last while information changes with time. Past information is easily forgotten in favor of new ones. Impressions change you, and these are stored permanently in the mind.

For learning to become effective, it requires brief pauses to be able to visualize and reflect. Effective learning is not about how fast you can finish reading a book. It is more on how you effectively comprehend the ideas brought forth by the writer.

Visual pictures provide lasting impressions. Go after ideas and how it will enrich people’s existence. Go for lasting impressions and insights that will mold you into better individuals.

Do you currently have a lot of problems in your life?

Do you think that it is too much for one person to handle all these problems?

Do you think that life is unfair?

If your answer is yes, then here is an important truth that you must know:

“Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems.” – Nelson Rockefeller, U.S. vice president

The opportunities to grow and learn are hidden in your problems.

Your problems are your best chance to stretch your mind and take your life to the next level.

There are lessons you must learn in order to progress in your personal development quest. Problems and failures are your best teachers.

To see these hidden opportunities, you must develop the right attitude. You must be grateful to all that happen to you.

Everything that happens to us is happening for a reason. There is a purpose for everything. You must stop and reflect. Look for the lessons and the opportunities within your problems.

To solve your problems you must learn new skills, adapt new thought patterns, and become a different person than you were before that problem.

God has crafted you for success. In the middle of every adversity lie your best opportunities. Discover it, build upon it and move forward in your journey to live an extraordinary life.

You owe it to yourself to live a great life. Don’t let negative thoughts pull you down. Be grateful and open to learn and grow.

Life is full of abundance. You just need to align yourself with life!

Writer’s block has got to be the most frustrating things writers have to grapple with. It’s especially troubling if you have a looming deadline and you’re just staring at your computer with no idea what to write. But even if you don’t have a deadline and you just want to come up with a written piece, it’s still hard being unable to produce anything.

Some people will tell you to just buckle down and start writing, because it will all come together once you get started. But what if you’re simply drawing blanks? Well, don’t just sit there and mope. Try these simple tricks to oil your imagination’s gears a little and kick start your writing.

• Get out of the house. A walk around town may be just the thing to help give you ideas and topics for your story or article. Observe your surroundings and the people around you and try to think up stories about them.

• Read up on your topic. This is particularly helpful if you’re assigned to write an article, essay, or report. It’ll do good if you find out what aspects of the topic have already been extensively discussed, which would help you think of a new way to approach it.

• Take out short stories or essays written by your favorite writers and rewrite them. Approach the topics from a different perspective. Apply your own touches and points of view and you may come up with some ideas of your own.

• Grab a pen and a notebook and just freewrite. Write whatever comes to mind, jot down every thought you’re having. Note every thought you have about your topic. You can even write down your feelings about writer’s block. You don’t have to follow any certain topic, and you can even ignore grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Just let your mind wander and scribble away!

As another writing exercise, you might also want to imagine yourself in new places and different scenarios. Try to imagine how you’d behave or what you would do in such situations and write a story around that topic.

• Do something else entirely. Relax and try not to think of writing for a while. You may be pushing yourself too hard to come up with something that it’s become difficult for you to actually start writing. Talk to a friend, cook yourself a meal, and refresh your mind a little before settling down to work again.