Most of us engage in dichotomous thinking from time to time, but it becomes a cognitive distortion (incorrect thinking pattern)...
Nested systems and causal chains: Neurological and Biological Perspectives
The World Health Organisation says that brain health “is the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders”.
This is true!
THE LAB @ NIB is intentional about brain health, more specifically about the study of nested systems and causal chains which refer to the way that you have been designed. Nested systems are all your systems (i.e. neurological, biological, psychological, social, familial and environmental) that are stored one inside the other. They work together as a unit. They have a causal chain. “A causal chain is a series of causes and effects and is also referred to as a path of influence running from a root cause to problematic symptoms” (Heyns-Nell, C., 2022, Discover Your Amazing Brain. p.16).
During stressful times in our lives, understanding your nested systems and causal chains will help you to categorise your experiences to reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. It will help you with calmness and increased focus.
For now, we look at the neurological and biological perspectives within nested systems.
Neurological Perspective
“Your neurological system is related to your anatomy, functions of nerves, and your nervous system. It originates from your brain and controls your movements, thoughts, and automatic responses to the world around you” (Heyns-Nell, C., 2022, Discover Your Amazing Brain, p. 17).
Biological Perspective
Your biological system refers to the group of organs or entities that work together to carry out a particular task, for example an action, that you are doing right now (Heyns-Nell, C., 2022, Discover Your Amazing Brain).
Let’s get practical
From a neurological perspective, your anxious thoughts, if not dealt with, can become Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD occurs when you have anxious thoughts more days than not, lasting for at least 6 months.
Typical symptoms are fatigue, difficulty handling uncertainty, restlessness, irritability and constantly feeling on edge (biological).
It is important to analyse your thoughts, and determine the root cause of your anxiety. If doing a presentation to an audience leaves you anxious, you need to examine your thoughts. Be mindful of your thoughts in those moments. Also, give yourself time to understand it those thoughts happen regularly.
Unlike anxious thoughts, fatigue is a symptom that can quickly be identified when you are more in tune with your body. When you are examining your body, context is very important. Feeling tired after a long hike does not mean that the root cause of your fatigue is anxiety. Whilst feeling fatigued after a presentation, could mean that you have anxious thoughts.
In its simplest form, the neurological and biological, is the ‘science of life’ and is divided into many specialised fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behaviour, origin, and distribution.
From a biological perspective, your organ systems include the integumentary system (outer layer of your body, like skin and nails), skeletal and muscular system (muscles, posture, and blood circulation), lymphatic system (a network of tissues, vessels and organs that work together to move a colourless, watery fluid called ‘lymph’ back into your circulatory system), respiratory system (breathing), digestive system (breakdown of food into smaller components), endocrine system (a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands directly into the circulatory system), cardiovascular system (heart, the blood vessel and the blood itself, transport system), urinary system, and reproductive systems. It is complex, to say the least! This complex biological system also needs to work in unity. See why it is so easy to get sick?
The good news is that you have a lot of control over how all your systems work, especially your biological system. However, most of us live our lives as if medical doctors are the only ones who have a say over our biological system. The person who should know your biological system best is you. And you need to take care of this. We are not saying you should start self-diagnosing. What we are saying, is that you should understand your body better so that you know what to do when you are not feeling well; or take better preventative measures and taking greater care of it.
The perspectives, neurological and biological, are not isolated. They guide us in understanding what we are experiencing. These are different lenses that you can use in approaching problem to find the cause.
Reflection and practical tips to move forward
Understanding nested systems improves your knowledge of brain health. The more you understand, the better equipped you are to influence these systems.
Referring back to the anxiety example, which is neurological (anxious thoughts) and biological (anxiety), you are able to reduce anxiety by doing the following:
- Start to explore your thoughts by being mindful of what you think. It is important to be honest with yourself in these moments. You can examine why you are having these thoughts, their impact and specific situations that led to those thoughts.
- Deal with the root cause of your anxiety.
- Journal your thoughts and note what had happened during the day. This makes it easier to examine your thoughts and also why you might be feeling tired.
- Notice emerging patterns. The more you journal, the more you will notice patterns of anxiety and its root cause.
- Train yourself to be more aware and how to articulate what you are noticing.
If you are unable to find the root cause of a problematic symptom, you should consider finding professional help. A therapist, psychological or a neurofeedback practitioner will be able to find the root cause. A neurofeedback practitioner will also be able to train your brain, reducing patterns that cause a problematic symptom.
You can choose one problematic symptom at a time and examine it from the neurological perspective first. For example, if you find yourself thinking that something will go wrong, you will refer to the neurological perspective and examine that thought.
Should you decide to introduce journalling, as a way to improve your brain health, you could ask yourself some of the following questions:
- Why are you having these thoughts?
- Are these thoughts valid?
- Is there irrefutable evidence for that?
- Are they helpful?
- What outcome do you want?
Anxiety is against brain health. Keeping your brain healthy means identifying negative thought patterns, understanding where they come from and dealing with them. The perspectives, neurological and biological, are not isolated. They guide us in understanding what we are experiencing. These are different lenses that you can use in approaching problem to find the cause.
