The glymphatic system is the brain’s waste disposal system
Gord was a really miserable sod. His girlfriend said so. His coworkers said so. Heck, even his Mom said so. In the end, even Gord had to agree he was a very miserable sod indeed
Early on, I could tell he had poor mental hygiene habits. He literally wallowed in misery all the time. “Yes, but..” was his favourite phrase.
Gord was a master plumber, a real craftsman and a bit of a perfectionist too. He very quickly caught on to how our brain’s GLYMPHATIC SYSTEM works.
Who knew that your brain would have a waste disposal system, right?
You probably know that the lymphatic system is the body’s waste disposal system, and you probably also know that our brains are kept safe and sound living inside a big bag called the blood-brain barrier that surrounds it.
The blood-brain barrier stops anything other than oxygen and nutrients from getting into the brain and it keeps infectious bugs out.
For the longest time, scientists had no idea how the brain got rid of its metabolic waste until one day a neuroscientist looked really really closely at brain sections and slices and found lots of little tubes running from the brain and draining into the lymphatic system.
He had found the brain’s waste disposal system, the glymphatic system. It was always there in plain sight for all to see but had been overlooked, which is a great story for another day.
So Gord and I had a good chat about glymphatic systems and getting rid of all the doom and gloom stories he kept rehashing over and over in his mind.
Flush it all away!
And then I had an idea. “Hey Gord, wouldn’t it be funny if every time you went to the toilet, you mentally flushed away the ‘crap’ in your head too?”
To his credit, he took me up on it and went looking for old pictures of Victorian Crappers we could use for visualizing and he picked out his favorite. (Yes, they were actually called ‘crappers’ in Victorian days after Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the water closet back in 1880).
Our somber man was laughing through the whole process.
His homework for the subsequent week was to practice his new skill. Every time he had to use the toilet, he closed his eyes and imagined he was sitting on his old-style golden Victorian toilet and flushing away all the ‘crap’ out of his head.
It made him laugh every time. He couldn’t help but smile. It didn’t take long before his brain took over on automatic and made it a permanent fun habit.
I hear from Gord from time to time and he tells me that he still chuckles every time he goes to the toilet and flushes ALL his waste away.
I have used this story many times since then with my Lab Rats and it works like a charm.
How does that work really?
Simple. Ever heard of the saying “Use it or lose it”. The brain works the same way. It reinforces the connections you use most often and it weakens and disconnects those you no longer use. Replace an old unhelpful habit with a new one and the old habit weakens and goes away.
You don’t have to believe, you just have to do.
Try this:
Next time you find yourself burdened under the weight of a dark cloud filling your thoughts with gloom and doom, imagine you have a beautiful antique gold crapper of your very own and flush it ALL away.
Let me know how it goes for you.
- Have you ever seen an old fashion Victorian crapper?
- Did you know your brain is equipped with a waste disposal system?
- What is the most effective way you use to get rid of all the unwanted stuff in your head?
Post your answers below, and read what others are saying.
What I’m Watching:
SO… What would YOU do with the rest of your life if you could get rid of the pesky misery that’s holding you back?
This one-of-a-kind optimist has a few suggestions for you.
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Howdy
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“Every time he had to use the toilet, he closed his eyes and imagined he was sitting on his old-style golden Victorian toilet and flushing away all the ‘crap’ out of his head.”
“It didn’t take long before his brain took over on automatic and made it a permanent fun habit.”
Just like writing one’s bad memories on a paper and flushing those down the toilet to get rid of them, it’s nonsense.
To imagine something, and then expect it to become the norm because one keeps imagining ii is new age nonsense at it’s finest. What about the affirmations to make sure one goes regularly? Love and light! Or should that be love and sh*te!
I have some childhood memories, yet they continue to haunt me. They exist in the sub-conscious, and I cannot affect them. They exist for a reason.
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Lorraine
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Hi Howdy, there is truth in replacing one habit with a different one, hopefully trading up. In this case, Gord is what he thinks he is, sullen and miserable, or competent and successful in his endeavors.
I replaced sedentary time on the internet with power walks. When feeling the desire to spend too much valuable time online, I walk away and out the door. I accomplish this without difficulty wearing comfortable suitable attire for indoor and outdoor pursuits, no need to change. I’m heading out now. It’s a glorious spring day!
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Howdy
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Habit has nothing to do with it lorraine. When does a way of life that works, become a habit?
Giving advice is one thing, outright mass labeling others as something one defines by their own views on life is another, and in this case, it is derogatory.
Your second paragraph is a beneficial step, but only for you. It wouldn’t work for me. Why should it, we are not the same.
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Howdy
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Hang on, I might have crossed lines in my reply. Forget my second paragraph above, it was meant for another article.
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