Personal development

• Human brain


  Highly essential and powerful part of the human body, considered one of the largest and most complex organs of the body
• Voytek (2013) estimates that there are 86 billion neurons in the human brain
• Brain


  Processing center of different signals and information, communicating over a trillion connections through the synapses
• Brain Stem


  • Connects the brain to the spinal cord and the rest of the body, controls autonomic processes of the body which include breathing, digestion, and heart rate, consists of the medulla, the pons, and the midbrain
• Cerebellum


  • Involved in cognitive functions such as attention, language, emotion function (fear and pleasure response regulation) and the processing of procedural memories, has a significant role in balance and motor control
• Cerebrum


  • Largest and uppermost portion of the brain which makes up about 75% of the brain's total volume and 85% of its weight, divided into two separate hemispheres - the left and right hemispheres- by a large groove called the longitudinal fissure, the two hemispheres are connected by a large bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum
• Ned Hermann


  Known as the "Father of brain dominance technology", used Roger Sperry's split brain research and developed his theory of brain dominance
• Whole brain model


  The brain is divided into four metaphoric quadrants, representing preferred modes of thinking, learning, and working
• Characteristics of the four quadrants

  • Logical Rational/Analytical Thinking
  • Organized Planned/Sequential Thinking
  • Interpersonal Feelings/Interpersonal Thinking
  • Big Picture/Imaginative Thinking
• Right-brain or left-brain dominance theory


  Each side of the brain has its designated function and each person has his/her own preference as to which side is mostly used
• Characteristics of right-brain and left-brain

  • Logical
  • Analytical
  • Objective
  • Intuitive
  • Thoughtful
  • Subjective
• The right side of the brain controls muscles at the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body
• Abilities associated with the right side of the brain

  • Recognizing faces
  • Expressing emotions
  • Music
  • Reading emotions
  • Colors
  • Images
  • Intuition
  • Creativity
• Abilities associated with the left side of the brain

  • Language
  • Logic
  • Critical thinking
  • Numbers
  • Reasoning
• How to use both sides of the brain if you are left-brained

  1. Balance mind and heart when you communicate or engage in activities

  2. Use images and visualization exercises

  3. Listen to music, find any interest or hobby

  4. Try to break your daily routine/schedule and engage in unplanned activities
• How to use both sides of the brain if you are right-brained

  1. Engage yourself deeper into getting facts and details

  2. Engage in planning activities or exercises

  3. Play complex games that interest you like chess, or any board games

  4. Work with numbers and explore or study any mathematical topics
• Mind mapping


  A diagram based on a particular word or idea, presents a picture or a powerful graphical style which leads to unlock its potential to explore its possibilities from a word, image, number, logic, rhythm, color, and spatial consciousness in a unique manner
• Origin of mind mapping

  The use of mind mapping can be traced to Tony Buzan, a popular British psychology author and television personality in the late 1960s who used diagrams to map out information
• Materials needed in mind mapping

  • A blank sheet of paper
  • Colored pens and pencils
  • Your brain
  • Your imagination
• Mental health


  The level of psychological health or well-being, indicating the normalcy or an absence of mental illness
• Well-being


  Subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential
• Mental health includes the fulfillment of one's capacities, ability to cope with regular normal life stressors, ability to perform at work well, and to positively contribute to their community
• One out of five young persons suffer from mental illness
• Mental illness


  Disrupts the normal functions of the brain, arising from varied causes resulting from the complex interactions between genes and the environment
• Having a mental illness is not a choice nor can it be judged from a moral standpoint
• Possible warning signs of mental disorders

  • Frequent expression of anger and worry
  • Difficulty in sleeping and eating
  • Inability to enjoy pleasurable activities
  • Isolation and avoiding social interactions
  • Extended feeling of grief after a loss or death of a loved one
  • Obsession with exercising, dieting, or binge eating
  • Tendency to hurt other people or destroy property
  • Low or no energy
  • Engaging in smoking, drinking, and prohibited drugs
  • Difficulty in controlling emotions
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Self-harm
  • Idea that one's mind is controlled by someone else or is out of control
  • Hearing voices
• ADHD


  Persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that disrupts normal functioning or development and whose symptoms present themselves in two or more settings such as home, school, work
• Bipolar Disorder


  Serious mental illness where people go through unusual mood changes and extremes of emotions such as the happy, highly energetic phase called a manic episode, followed by depression or a depressive episode where they will feel very sad, have low energy, and generally be less active
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)


  Excessive anxiety and worrying with difficulty to control oneself, associated with symptoms such as restlessness, being easily tired, irritability, muscular tension, difficulty in concentrating, and difficulty staying asleep
• Social Anxiety Disorder


  Persistent fear of socializing with unfamiliar situations or people and the fear to act in ways that may be embarrassing and humiliating
• Panic disorder


  Sudden surge of fear or intense discomfort reaching its peak within minutes, with recurrent unexpected panic attacks and signs like fast heartbeats, chest pain, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensation, nausea, dizziness or lightheadedness, numbness, chills or heat, feeling of being detached from one's self, fear of losing control, and fear of dying
• Schizophrenia


  Gross deficits in reality testing, manifesting in delusion, hallucination, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms such as flat emotion, amotivation, anergia, and failure to maintain physical hygiene
• Depression


  Feeling of sadness that lingers for weeks or longer, accompanied by a feeling of worthlessness and hopelessness, leading to difficulty in making decisions, restlessness, inability to focus, and unusual behaviors like becoming more or less talkative or eating more or less often
• Eating Disorder


  Severe disturbance to an adolescent's eating behavior that may lead to a fatal illness, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating
• Personality disorder


  Behavior that markedly deviates from the expectations of the culture, with distorted thinking patterns, problematic emotional responses, over or underregulated impulse control, and interpersonal difficulties
• Conduct disorder


  Disruptive behaviors such as aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules, causing serious problems in socialization, academics and work
• Substance-related Disorders


  Conditions related to problematic or pathological use of substances such as alcohol or illegal drugs
• Internet Addiction


  Excessive use of the Internet which impairs daily life, involving compulsive impulsive disorder with activities like gaming, emailing/texting, and engaging in social networking sites
• Family is the basic unit of society and how you are being raised in your respective families helps shape the person that you are
• Balanced parenting approach


  Providing firm discipline while being compassionate, and explaining why rules have to be implemented at home, fostering open communication