This is a post from December 2017
I lose my slipper. I look around for it upstairs and downstairs. I ask my husband to help me. He looks upstairs and downstairs. We have no luck. “I’m going to put a coin in the Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess box,” I tell my husband. I think about how many times Rabbi Meir, one of the Rabbis from Roman times has helped us find lost objects. It works 9/10 of the time, so why not. Then I find my missing slipper.
When I lose something, negative emotions like frustration and self-blame set in. I tell myself, “Why didn’t you put the keys where you always do?” and “Why can’t you be more organized?” and “You’re always losing things!” The negative bias triggers anxiety and the anxiety triggers the sympathetic nervous system. Whether Rabbi Meir is a miracle worker or not, I feel cared for and safe when I ask him to help me out. That triggers the parasympathetic nervous system. Once I’m calm, I am able to look around for my lost object with optimism and joy. It’s my mindset that allows my brain to work.
It’s been three weeks since I last posted about executive function. I found myself questioning my understanding. I wanted to share knowledge and understanding that was clear but scientifically valid. I signed up for two online workshops on Executive Function on the PESI site. One is a two-day workshop with an OT, then the other is a one-day with a psychologist. They equal 18 CEU’s for my MFT and my AET hours, so it’s not a loss. I’m still working on those.
Right now, I have a much better conceptualization of what EF is, including the processes in the brain that take place when Executive Functions and Executive skills are needed.
*According to George McCloskey, the fight or flight response will impair our ability to access our Executive Functions. He says that Executive Function has four main domains, including emotions, perceptions, cognition, and action.
Stay tuned. I’ll be revising my previous posts, and adding new ones.
Reference
McCloskey, G. (2017). Improving Executive Functions: Strategies to Rewire the Brain and Change Behavior. PESI.
If you would like to read more about Rabbi Meir, here’s a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbi_Meir