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NikNik
Senior Contributor

Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

AUG Career Chat (1).png

We are excited to announce that Career Chat will now take place the second Tuesday of each month, from 7pm - 9pm AEST! A big THANK YOU to Ostara for delivering this monthly event! We hope you all get something interesting out of the sessions.

Brain training techniques that improve your neuroplasticity for employment

We can all improve our capacity to be better creative thinkers, and even improve memory.  Each of us has the capacity to actually reshape the physical structure of the brain from various neuroplasticity training techniques.

A number of research studies show that improved brain functioning can lead to being about to think faster, listen and respond better, improve concentration and memory and help us live to our fullest.

This discussion will explore what is neuroplasticity and the techniques that will help improve brain function and focus.

 A big welcome to @Former-Member @Kurra @-Rayne- @BlueBay @Determined @Nikki1 @Queenie @Sans911 @Phoenix_Rising @Sweet_Potato @Jase101 @CheerBear

18 REPLIES 18

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Super-happy about the change of time. Good move!

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

I agree with @-Rayne-! The change of time is excellent.

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Please send me a reminder 🙂

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Hi..

Neuroplasticity is a very exciting area and I look forward to tonight’s chat. There are many aspects of this topic that we can discuss and I will let those online determine which way we go.

For those who may be new to this topic you may wish to watch this 2 minute video to get you started  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g .

There is a lot of stuff out there on neuroplasticity and the quality varies considerably… if you want my recommendations for any references please ask.

One of my interests is in the relationship between neuroplasticity and employment, but lets see where we go in our discussion.

So please anyone feel free to make any comment or ask a question to kick us off….

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Hi @OstaraAust, my knowledge of neuroplasticity is limited to one book I once read - The Brain That Changes Itself. When I think about it in terms of my various jobs though, it does make some sense on at least two fronts. #1 I've become really bad at doing things that I don't do in my work (like anything to do with numbers) and I see this with others in the same work as me. We seem to lose things we don't use. 

#2 is more fuzzy and relates to how I can tolerate social contact.  At times when I've had more contact with clients I've gradually gotten more comfortable with people - compared to now when I always work alone except for a couple of hours each week when I speak to large groups. It takes a while in between changes to adjust... and those times are not fun. I often wonder why I can't just keep everything but no. 

Not sure if this is really the same as neuroplasticity but its at least somewhat similar.

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

@OstaraAust I am very curious about your thoughts on neuroplasticity as it relates to employment. I have had two major workplace incidents and thus am on the DSP which is a source of intense despair for me. I had a neuropsych assessment done a few years ago and the key findings were superior verbal IQ and moderately impaired executive functioning. The executive functioning issues mean that I struggle with a lot of the soft skills that employers look for such as being able to prioritize tasks, work under pressure, multi-task etc. People also tend to regard me as being "too rigid" and "too black and white."

I am very interested in neuroplasticity. I have done some neurofeedback and I have just taken up yoga. I'm also learning the violin. I know all these things have a positive impact on our neurobiology.

So...what are your thoughts on neuroplasticity and employment??? Smiley Happy

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Hi Briar,

Yes "The Brain that Changes Itself" is a great book and the documentarty that goes with it is worth watching also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFCOm1P_cQQ .

You are right neuroplastciy works both ways "Use it or loose it" means we both strenghten what we repeat and what we dont repeat weakens with time. We truely are a "bundle of habits". 

The also apply to social contact, or more broadly our social skills and abilites. What we do repeat we get good at and these become automatic, what we don't we are a bit awkward and can even be self-conscious about like a shy young person at their first party

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

That makes sense. There was a time in my life when I hardly ever left the house, totally isolated and when I had to do so, it was actually physically painful to walk through a public space. Now it's nothing like that fortunately... I just get better and worse at conversation, thinking while speaking etc.

Re: Career Chat // Improving your neuroplasticity for employment // Tues 8 Aug, 7pm-9pm AEST

Thanks Phoenix_Rising 

I will make a few comments, though of course it would not be appropriate for me to make specific comments about your particular circumstances as you describe them. My own view is that all broad concepts like “Executive Functioning” are at best generalised terms that cover a family of abilities made more complex by the fact that context always has a bit effect (e.g. I can be very patient in some contexts, but not in others – so does that mean I am a patient person or not?). Still there are a group of abilities (some of which you list) in the cognitive category of "executive functioing" that can be focused on and developed and for which there will be some general transference from context to context.  

But as to employment and neuroplasticity this is a two-way street, in that there are some generic abilities that can be strengthened to better prepare people for employment AND once employed (as was pointed out by Brair) what you do at work will strengthen and what you don’t do at work will tend to get weaker. There is lots to say here, but I’ll keep this brief.

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