The brain needs training, a varied mental diet that stimulates it to achieve greater physical and emotional well-being. How to provide it? With the so-called healthy mind platter, a theoretical and practical proposal that Ready for People likes to share in specialized experiences in self-leadership and performance.

This time, we want to share it with you through the blog! Do you want to know this mental diet capable of improving your well-being and efficiency? Keep reading!

Healthy mind tray that combines neuroscience and psychology

Neuroscience and psychology experts David Rock (Neuroleadership Institute) and Daniel J. Siegel (UCLA School of Medicine) designed a decade ago the mental diet to train the brain and make it work more efficiently, but also in the healthiest possible way.

The two scientists were inspired by the well-known nutritional pyramid (relaunched by U.S. institutions in 2011 under the name healthy eating plate) to create an analogous framework focused on the mind. Hence the name healthy mind platter, which translates as " healthy mind platter ".

Rock and Siegel 's studies and research led them to the conclusion that the brain needs to be stimulated in the form of 7 basic daily activities, which have a positive impact on mental health and overall well-being.

Incorporate the healthy mind platter into your routine allows you to efficiently perform the tasks of your professional and personal life, but it also boosts your ability to relate to family, friends and co-workers.

All this brings physical and mental well-being, as brain health and stress management are optimized. Without a healthy diet for the mind, disconnection from the activities of the present moment leads to lack of concentration and the onset of stress.

The 7 ingredients of the healthy mind platter and one essential extra

The healthy mind tray devised by David Rock and Daniel J. Siegel consisted of 7 ingredients. At Ready for People we added an eighth, and I'm sure you also think it's essential to complete this diet!

1. Sleep: is a basic vital process that refreshes body, mind and consolidates memory. We integrate information through sleep, eliminating the useless and generating new connections. Many emotional problems arise from sleep deprivation.
2. Play: Experimentation and reconnection with the inner child is essential to foster creativity and learning. Spending time playing allows us to see other perspectives, open up to other possibilities and solve problems in any field.
3. Rest: the time of disconnection, dedicated to doing nothing and simply being in the present moment. This inactivity allows us to integrate what we have learned from each experience and generate new ideas. It is therefore key to developing self-leadership.
4. Introspection: reflection, whether through a review of our experiences, keeping a diary or meditation, is a key period of adjustment. It serves to relax the rhythm, eliminate tensions and put ideas in order, which increases our well-being.
5. Socialization: as a social animal, humans need to have a network of close people to relate to, which generates trust, self-leadership and connection. In addition, socializing is good for the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems.
6. Exercise: physical health is one of the pillars of mental health, beware of sedentary lifestyles! Exercise increases brain plasticity, improves emotional management and reduces stress; its impact on the mind is greater than we think.
7. Concentration: time without distractions, interruptions, multi-tasking or over-stimulation. Control over attention activates different parts of the brain and takes us out of "autopilot". Mindfulness, breathing and organization are key.
8. Food: eating in a balanced and healthy way has a direct impact on well-being. A good diet provides all the energy we need, but also facilitates the proper functioning of the mind and is essential for a healthy life.

Experience: evaluate your mental diet and find out how to improve it!

As we said at the beginning, healthy mind platter is a theory, but also a practical experience! To get the most out of it, take advantage of the illustration below. You can draw your own picture on a piece of paper and, on the circles, place each of the 8 ingredients of the mental diet.

Calculate from 1 to 5, from the inside out, how you value each of the activities or ingredients in your current life. When you have it, mark the grade you would like to achieve. Now is the time to reflect on what you see:

• What is the strongest area of the circle?
• Which one needs attention?
• What can you do to achieve your goals?

The practical application of the healthy mind platter helps us to reflect on our habits and the attention we pay to our well-being, which also has a direct impact on efficiency, self-leadership and many other aspects of our lives.

If you do this exercise, we'd love for you to share your results with us! And, if you want to learn about experiences you can do to develop your self-leadership, stress management or productivity boost, follow the link or contact us!