BRAIN BOOST

BRAIN BOOST MY TAKE ON BRAIN FOOD

BY IVY CIOLLI

Who doesn’t need a mood enhancer these days? We have all been taken on a roller coaster of emotions the past few months. Just when we think the ride is over, we enter an unpredictable tunnel! Will we be jerked to the left or take a sharp right? Or will we fall into the great abyss? Needless to say, this was unforeseeable, and our future is foreseeably unpredictable—but our greatest advantage is to maintain our mental health.

When “braincoasting” on this month’s article, the term “cognitive dissonance” was at the forefront of my mind. It’s not a term I commonly use, but when I looked it up, it resonated and had validity.

Cognitive dissonance means mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time. This seems to be

alarmingly true in conversations I have had with people. Our tracks are being rattled with so many ideologies, and many of us don’t have the mental capacity to focus on too much content these days.

With that in mind, I will keep my “resolution ride” to mental dissonance at a minimum.

While seeking the high road and positivity, Sun Potion checks all the boxes for mental well-being. The company offers adaptogen powders and tonics that feed our mind and soul. I’m a big believer in utilizing earth elements for the balancing of emotional, hormonal, and physical repair, and I have noticed a significant boost in all these areas by building smoothies powered by these superfoods. My family’s morning ritual begins with a shake that’s often made with frozen organic wild blueberries, organic bananas and a protein powder, and I load it with Sun Potion powders.

Ashwagandha is my favorite Ayurvedic adaptogen, which is an antioxidant-rich powdered root extract that helps support your immune system, stress relief and hormonal balance, as well as harmonize mind, body, and spirit.

Another brain tonic that I love is Lion’s Mane. This organic mushroom can help support memory, mental clarity, concentration, balance your mood, and is also another great immune supporter.

My last suggestion is one that is currently in my Sun Potion cart. It is called Bacopa! This Ayurvedic “Brain Depolarizer” is a potent neuroprotective elixir that may support mental clarity, short- and long-term memory, mood, healthy circulation, and overall brain function. It’s everything I have been seeking in one bottle! This may be the quintessential quarantine unequivocal answer for mental preparedness.

Now that you are prepared to create your perfect brainenhancing concoction, I will leave you with a quote I came across in one of Sun Potion’s emails. Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson, a psychologist and expert on emotional wellness at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, explains, “Positive emotions expand our awareness and open us up to new ideas, so we can grow and add to our toolkit for survival. But people need negative emotions to move through difficult situations and respond to them appropriately in the short term.” I find that it is a matter of how we navigate through these emotions and feelings during this volatile and vulnerable time in our lives. Hold on to your seats because this ride is not over! So may our outlook be bright and our future be bold!

Ivy Ciolli is a native of Arizona born with the innate desire to protect Mother Earth. She is a wife and proud mother of Cole and Brooklyn. Her days are filled with volunteering at her children's school, and philanthropic work involving abused and neglected children and animals.