Hey friend,

It was once believed the brain was fixed after childhood—leaving you thinking that you were stuck with the cognitive-emotional cards you were dealt.

But that is so far from the truth!

Today, we know that the brain is adaptable matter and the mind is dynamic energy.

This is thanks to neuroplasticity—the brain's remarkable ability to change.

However, this adaptability can work both ways, for better or worse.

For the better, you can achieve a balanced state of mental wellness and peak cognitive performance.

For the worse, you may feel trapped by your mind—depressed, anxious, and stressed—with diminished abilities to problem-solve, remember things, or focus.

Thankfully, your brain is always asking, "How would you like me to form connections and release chemicals?"

The empowering thing is that you get to answer through your internal and external inputs!!!

Don't leave this to chance—you can choose to create the mind and brain you want.

Neurons that fire together, wire together.

So here are the brain exercises to help rewire your brain to work for you, not against you:

Retrain and rewire your brain with these 5 practices:

1) Neural Retraining

Neural retraining is mindfulness 2.0—one of the most effective ways to reshape your brain’s neural pathways for better emotional, cognitive, and physiological health.

It combines visualization, affirmations, somatic awareness, behavioral shifts, and graded exposure therapy to rewire the brain, especially when maladaptive patterns fuel chronic stress, illness, or unhelpful thought and behavior patterns.

My favorite method is DNRS, but the Gupta program is another great option.

2) Breathwork

My late holistic health mentor, Christopher Smaka, always told me: "Before anything else, breathe."

When faced with stress, your unconscious mind triggers shallow, rapid breathing. But when you're relaxed and feel safe, your breath slows and deepens.

The cool part? This process works both ways—your mind influences your breath, but you can control it consciously too.

By breathing slowly and deeply, you signal safety to your unconscious mind, reducing the stress response.

Chris was right: the breath bridges the conscious and unconscious mind.

My go-to daily breathwork practice is the Wim Hof Method.

3) Switch Up Your Routine

When you slip into routine, your brains go on autopilot, always seeking the path of least resistance.

But that routine can keep you stuck…

Mix up your routine to boost cognitive freedom. Even small changes force your brain to adapt, strengthening its flexibility and resilience.

The goal isn’t to create chaos, but to challenge your brain with small modifications that prevent it from slipping into "cruise control."

Here are some ideas for you:

• Take an alternative route to work or the store.
• Embark on an adventure—whether it's a new town, state, or country!
• Explore different music, movies, books, or video games.
• Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
• Rearrange your workspace or living area.
• Switch up your exercise routine by trying a new workout or sport.

Throw your mind a curveball and get out of a rut—challenge your brain to grow, learn, and adapt!

4) Try Brain Games

You’ve heard the saying, "Use it, or lose it," right? That’s your brain’s motto.

Your brain has limited capacity, so if you're not actively using the information stored in it, it starts to prune unused connections—like clearing out old files.

Remember being a math whiz back in the day, only to now struggle with a simple equation? You didn’t use it, my friend, so you lost it...

Even if you don’t need those old skills, mental focus, problem-solving, and logical thinking are more valuable than ever, especially in today’s fast-paced world.

Games like crossword puzzles, memory card games, and Sudoku boost your brain, sharpening the cognitive skills you need to thrive today!

Here are my favorite brain games and apps:

1. ​Elevate​
2. ​BrainHQ​
3. ​Brain Bloom​
4. ​Lumosity​
5. ​Dual-N-Back​

5) Visualization

While many focus on the negative and envision worst-case scenarios, what if you flipped that mindset? What if you visualized things going right (for a change) and sought data to support that?

Visualization is the process of imagining a specific event in great detail.

Imagining positive outcomes shifts you from negativity to optimism, and with consistency, replaces limiting patterns.

What's cool is that your brain treats visualization as real (if done well, it doesn't know that you are just envisioning it), releasing dopamine and serotonin to reduce stress and promote emotional balance.

The mind-body connection that occurs in these meditative states amplifies the effect—visualizing positive outcomes helps your body relax, release tension, and shift from stress to calm.

Visualization isn't a bunch of hocus pocus—it's a powerful technique that impacts both your mind and body (and life)!

Here's the simple message: You’re not stuck with your brain or mind—you can consciously reshape it using these techniques!

Consistency is key. Reshaping your mind isn’t a one-time practice—it takes ongoing effort, just like the months (or years) it took for your current mind state to form.

But don't be discouraged... you can do it!

I'm curious—have you tried any of the brain exercises I mentioned? How did it go? What results did you notice?

Hit reply and let me know!

See you next Saturday,

Onjae