I should’ve become a neuroscientist.

One of my favourite books is a textbook, Consciousness, An introduction by Susan Blackmore, which takes you on a fascinating journey through the brain and its functions, a universe that science hasn’t managed to unravel. We know more about space than we do about the human brain.

Inspired by this book, which I will certainly mention in future posts, because it also tackles other interesting subtopics, I would like to share a few little exercises to help you improve your ability to live consciously. Because let’s face it, how many times a day do you stop and think about what is going on in your head?

The first exercise the author suggests is seemingly a simple one. Seemingly, because you’ll soon realise it’s anything but easy and obvious. You don’t need pen nor paper, you don't even need to make time for it. All you need to do, is ask yourself “Am I conscious now?” throughout your day. Then analyse your answer. What makes you say you are conscious? Does this question raise other questions? If so, which ones? Was this an easy exercise? Did you forget to ask yourself this one "simple" question at some point? Or did it come spontaneously?

Then, try to define consciousness. Any definition, even the silliest, will do. Quite a challenge, isn’t it? Did you link consciousness to physical processes in the brain? If so, how do you explain that these physical processes give rise to subjective experiences? If everyone’s brain works in the same (mechanical) way, why do we all experience things differently? Why are no two (emotional) reactions the same?

Good luck!

(Sweet?) dreams are made of this

Gizmo - he can sleep anywhere, anytime

In tomorrow’s post I will share my thoughts on power naps, and I will give you some tips to help you develop your own technique. But before I delve into the subject of napping and its effect on productivity, I think it’s important to have a closer look at dreams and their function. Disclaimer: I’m not a scientist, so don’t quote me on any of this, but it’s a topic that fascinates me – I’ll explain why in a minute – or less if you’re a fast reader.

It’s common knowledge that dreams occur in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase – or simply put in deep sleep. It is thought that dreams are the brain’s method of processing all the information it came across during wakefulness. Many people don’t remember their dreams, but most – if not all – of us, do actually dream, with each dream lasting up to forty-five minutes.

I became obsessed with the subject of dreaming a few years ago, when I had a frightening, but apparently very common, experience, which has since repeated itself. I was sound asleep one night, when I was suddenly awakened by something (someone?) pressing on my chest. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My muscles seemed paralysed. I could move my eyes, but that was it. The atmosphere in my room felt threatening and in the corner of my eye I could see a presence. I remember thinking “This is an evil spirit”. I must have fallen asleep soon after, because that’s the last thing I remember. The next morning I was convinced I had had a glimpse of the afterlife or something of the sort. I really thought I had died and come back to life (how dramatic, I know). For fear of being ridiculed, I only told hubby-to-be, who of course thought I had lost it.

Years later I accidentally came across a website about sleep patterns, and particularly about a condition called “sleep paralysis”, where you wake up during the REM phase and the effect of the hormone that paralyses your muscles during sleep to prevent you from acting out your dreams (don’t ask me what it’s called) has not worn off. As a result you find yourself between a dream-like state and conscious awareness. By the way, scientists believe that so-called “UFO abductions” are probably nothing more than an episode of sleep paralysis. What triggers this condition? Most probably stress, the plague of our time.

Why this post? Because I want to warn everyone – whether you work from home, in an office, in a factory or even from your hammock – that stress is far more dangerous than you think. It does things to your body that you can’t even imagine. It disrupts your body’s balance, your perception of the world and even your subconscious mind. So keep stress at bay (I will go into this in another post) and never underestimate the importance of relaxation and sleep. Sweet dreams (damn, the day has only just started)!

The perception of time

Have you ever found yourself casually glancing at a digital clock and seeing the same numbers displayed in sets, like 11:11 or 12:12? For some reason, that happens to me at least six times a day. No joke. You’ll tell me “Of course, you have deadlines, you probably look at the clock every five minutes, so it’s bound to happen at some point.” But no, I don’t check the time that often. I like to believe I have a built-in clock. I usually know more or less what time it is. Anyway, it might all be a coincidence, but I still find it freaky, so I had to mention it.

Now that takes me to my main point: time. I’ve been fascinated by the concept of time for… ever. Is it linear or multidimensional? Is it “real” or “perceived” differently by each and every one of us? This is not science fiction. On the contrary, time is one of the most fundamental principles in life. We experience it every day. The clock relentlessly ticking away…

Hubby-to-be, a very rational man, is a history enthusiast. Yet he refuses to question the very essence of time. He doesn’t feel the need to define it. For him, like for most people, it just exists. It’s almost irrelevant. This view baffles me.

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted shelves in my kitchen. Hubby-to-be and his brother had to spend an entire afternoon drilling holes to hang my floating shelves, which, I’ve now discovered, serve no purpose. In the process, they had to remove my wall clock. Even though I have a clock on my laptop and one on my oven, as well as a wrist watch, I felt lost without my wall clock, my point of reference. I hardly looked at it when it was there, but as soon as it was gone, I realised just how important it was in my daily life. It’s still on my desk – close enough for me to casually glance at it from time to time. We’re trying to figure out where to hang it. Or maybe we’re just lazy.

I feel time seems to run faster now that I’m working from home. Years ago, I worked in an office for a few months, and I remember the days never seemed to end. Yes, I had deadlines there too. No, I was not bored. Yes, there were distractions – the phone ringing, colleagues chattering, my favourite song on the radio. Yet time was slow. Slower. Now, somehow, mornings seem to fly by. Before I know it, it’s time for lunch. Is it just me – or does my brain process time differently now?

If you’re interested in the concept of time, I recommend “A brief history of time” by Stephen Hawking. I’m not going to go into it, because it’s about quantum mechanics and I’d end up with the entire scientific community ridiculing my attempts at interpreting Hawking’s theories, but I do want to share an interesting quote with you below. Food for thought…