IQ-46 Avoid *These Things* To Protect Your Brain & Do This Instead…

Welcome to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life. My name is Brandy Gillmore, and after recovering from my own life-changing injury, it has become my mission to share with others the same discoveries I made that changed my health—and my entire life. Our minds are truly incredible. The placebo is proof of this.

Each week, I will take this simple awareness to a whole new level. I will even coach live callers to free themselves of physical pain using only their mind. And then, I’ll provide you with a combination of practical and spiritual insights that you can use to master your mind, your emotions, and your energy—to help you heal your health, yourself, and your life. Let’s begin.

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Quick IQ episode, where we talk about insights and questions. I’m really looking forward to diving into today’s topic because it’s powerful and will touch many people for different reasons. We’re going to explore how to optimize your brain and avoid some of the common mistakes people make that actually slow their brains down—or even begin to disable their mental capacity and processing abilities.

We’ll also cover a few simple, effective things you can do to keep your brain sharp, efficient, and empowered. That’s what today’s IQ episode is all about. And, on a quick side note, I have to say how much I loved all the feedback from last week’s volunteer episode. So many of you shared how deeply it touched your hearts—and I know it melted mine too. If you recall, we had that beautiful 18-year-old volunteer with incredible self-awareness and such a sweet, inspiring energy. It was truly wonderful.

After that episode, many people reached out about mindfulness and youth—how kids and young adults are engaging with these tools. So, today I want to weave that into our discussion. We’ll be looking at mindfulness through the lens of both kids and adults and exploring how to ensure we’re using our minds in ways that empower us, not disable us.

How to Keep Your Brain Empowered and Optimized

In recent IQ episodes, we’ve talked about positive ways to empower your brain and common mistakes that can unconsciously weaken it. This theme has been coming up repeatedly—partly because of our volunteers’ experiences. Many of them were unknowingly doing things that made it harder to create results. So today, let’s focus on what you want to avoid—and what you can do to strengthen your brain instead.

In our last IQ episode, we touched on topics like the default mode network and brain wave patterns, and why some people aim for slower brain activity. Today, I want to go deeper into what actually helps your brain thrive—and what can cause it to slow down or become foggy.

Post-Lockdown Overwhelm: A Common Challenge

Even now, long after lockdowns, I still see many people experiencing a lingering sense of overwhelm. For some, life outside—socializing, returning to work, or engaging in daily activities—still feels exhausting or even intimidating. If this sounds familiar, it’s important to know that this doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with you. It simply means your brain needs a little retraining to re-adapt to stimulation and interaction again.

Think of it like exercise. If you run a mile every day, your body feels good afterward—energized and alive. But if you haven’t run in years, that same mile feels exhausting. It’s not that you can’t do it—it’s just that your body isn’t used to it anymore. Your brain works the same way. When it hasn’t been “exercised” in certain ways—like processing lots of sensory input or engaging socially—it can feel tired or overstimulated until it adjusts again.

The same goes for taking time off work. Have you ever noticed how, after a vacation, it can feel hard to get back into the rhythm of daily life? That’s because your brain needs time to recalibrate. This is especially true after extended isolation, like many people experienced during lockdowns.

How I Rebuilt My Own Brain After Isolation

When I was healing from my injury, I spent nearly seven years mostly inside my home. When I finally began going out again, the world felt overwhelming at first—so much stimulation, noise, and activity. But it was also beautiful. I remember looking at the blue sky and the birds and being moved to tears by how incredible our world truly is.

I knew I needed to retrain my brain to engage with life again, so I took intentional steps. One of the first things I did was start volunteering at a homeless shelter for single mothers. I helped care for the children while the moms worked on resumes and job applications. It was a sweet, heart-opening experience—and great for my brain. It allowed me to be around more movement, sound, and energy while staying present and grounded.

At the same time, I began preparing to return to my old career in network engineering. I worked on renewing my certifications in convergent network technologies and other technical areas. Interestingly, that part was easy—my analytical mind had stayed sharp because I’d spent years studying neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, metaphysics, and quantum physics. But being around people again—that required conscious effort and gradual rebuilding.

And that’s something I see with many people now. For some, it’s not analytical thinking that’s rusty—it’s social connection. The brain, like a muscle, must be used in all areas to stay strong.

Why Your Brain Can Feel Foggy or Overwhelmed

If you haven’t been using certain parts of your brain, they can feel sluggish—just like if you stopped practicing math or a foreign language. Most people who try to revisit high school geometry or calculus years later find it challenging unless they’ve kept using those skills. The same applies to social and emotional processing. If you haven’t been around groups of people or social environments, it can feel like too much at first.

That’s why so many people today—especially in spiritual circles—feel like life itself is “too much.” But rather than seeing this as a sign of sensitivity or spiritual elevation, I encourage you to see it as a brain processing issue. The good news is, it’s completely reversible with awareness and practice.

When Spiritual Awareness Becomes Mental Overload

In spiritual communities, it’s common to hear people say things like, “I’ve reached such a high level of spiritual consciousness that I can’t be around people anymore,” or “I’m too sensitive to energy to go out in crowds.” While this may feel true, it’s not necessarily a sign of being more spiritual—it’s often a sign that the brain’s processing ability has weakened through lack of use.

As spiritual beings, yes, we’re meant to connect with energy—but we’re also meant to live and thrive in the world. You want to be able to experience energy and life simultaneously—to feel grounded, connected, and vibrant, not fragile or overstimulated.

Think of it like the sun. If you focus on feeling the warmth of sunlight on your skin, you can tune into that energy easily. It’s powerful, radiant, and ever-present. But you don’t feel “overwhelmed” by it—you simply experience it. Energy is everywhere: from the sun, the earth, even the gravitational forces around us. So when people say, “I can’t handle being around energy,” what’s really happening is that their brain’s ability to process stimulation has diminished—not their energetic capacity.

How the Brain Adapts — and Why That Matters for All Ages

This same principle applies to everyone—kids, adults, and even seniors. For children or young adults who are practicing mindfulness, the goal isn’t to have them retreat from life or become overly inward. You want them to be empowered, happy, and engaged. You want them to live full, joyful lives where they can think clearly, stay grounded, and feel confident in the world around them.

And for older adults—say, someone in their 80s or 90s—if they’re mentally sharp, that’s a wonderful thing! It means their brain is still processing efficiently. So when you hear people describing “spiritual sensitivity” as a reason for being unable to interact with the world, recognize that what’s really happening is mental underuse, not over-sensitivity. They’re unintentionally “disabling” their own brains rather than empowering them.

Recognizing the Difference Between Energy and Processing

It’s not the energy around you that causes overwhelm—it’s the brain’s ability to process that energy. We live in a universe filled with energy, from the light of the sun to gravitational fields and frequencies all around us. But our brains are designed to handle that—when they’re exercised properly. The key is balance: staying energetically connected while keeping the brain strong, alert, and adaptable.

Rebuilding Brain Function and Confidence

I’ve worked with many people who were on disability for twenty or more years and were able to return to work and thrive. For some, their analytical mind had been underused, so at first even typing or handling tasks felt exhausting. But as they practiced consistently, they built up their “mental muscles.” Some of them now run their own businesses or manage teams. They went from overwhelm to empowerment simply by retraining their brains—just like exercising a physical muscle.

For others, their analytical skills were strong, but social engagement felt difficult. That’s exactly what I experienced when I began reentering the world after my injury. I had to intentionally redevelop that ability to be around groups of people and stay present amidst movement and sound. Over time, it felt natural and even energizing again.

So, when something feels “too much,” it’s not that you’ve lost ability—it’s just that your brain needs practice and reactivation. Just like running that first mile again, it might feel tiring at first, but with consistency, it becomes easy and uplifting.

How to Rebuild Your Brain After Isolation or Over-Meditation

Many people—especially after lockdowns—spend too much time in their heads or meditating without grounding. They spend so long in mental or energetic space that when they return to daily life, it feels heavy or overwhelming. Some even start identifying this as a “sign of being highly spiritual.” But in truth, it’s just an imbalance.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience. The goal isn’t to escape life—it’s to engage in it fully while staying connected to energy. That’s what creates harmony, joy, and health.

So if you notice that social situations, crowds, or travel feel overstimulating, don’t retreat. Instead, gently rebuild those areas of your brain. Go for a walk in a park where other people are around. Visit a busy café or public space. Start small and gradually expand. You’ll find that your brain adjusts beautifully, and what once felt overwhelming starts to feel good again.

Encouraging Children and Families Post-Lockdown

If you have children who have been indoors a lot since the lockdowns—or who spend most of their time on screens—start bringing them back into life. Take them to parks, group activities, or outdoor gatherings. These experiences are vital for their brain development and social comfort. Life is meant to be experienced—not avoided.

And if you’re an adult who used to enjoy things like travel, but now finds the thought of it exhausting, remind yourself: it’s just like that mile run. Once you start doing it again, your brain will readapt. The more you expose yourself gently and consistently, the more empowered and confident you’ll feel.

Creating a “Super Brain” — Your Path to Empowerment

So here’s the invitation from today’s episode: look at which areas of life or thinking feel overwhelming to you. Then decide consciously to strengthen them. If socializing feels difficult, practice being around people. If focus feels scattered, try exercises that build concentration. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s empowerment.

You can have what I call a super brain—one that’s emotionally aware, energetically tuned, analytically sharp, and socially engaged. You can thrive in all dimensions of life. That’s what true spiritual integration looks like.

And remember, we all need connection. Science shows that infants who don’t receive love and human contact can fail to thrive, even physically. We are wired for connection. So the more you strengthen your ability to be present, open, and loving, the healthier and happier you’ll feel.

Your Simple Practice for Today

Take a few moments to reflect: What part of your life feels small, restricted, or overwhelming? Maybe it’s being social, taking on new challenges, or even traveling again. Whatever it is, decide that you’re going to rebuild that area of your brain and your life. Start small and stay consistent—and celebrate every bit of progress.

Closing Thoughts: Empower Your Mind, Empower the World

The more empowered, happy, and connected you feel, the brighter the world becomes for all of us. So please, make a point to share this episode with someone you love—or even someone you don’t know! The more people who step into their power and joy, the more our collective energy rises, and the more love and harmony we’ll all experience.

On that note, I wish you a beautiful, high-energy, love-filled, and inspired day. I look forward to connecting with you on the next episode. I’ll see you there.

Episode Wrap-Up

Thank you for listening to Heal Yourself, Change Your Life. People often reach out to say how these episodes have given them hope, touched their hearts, or awakened them to a new level of awareness. If today’s episode expanded your mind or inspired you, please share it. The more people who become empowered, the more we transform our world.

Remember, the purpose of these demonstrations is to show what’s truly possible—how quickly you can transform your health and life when you learn to harness your mind. You are incredible. Just remember to keep working with your doctors and make it your goal to blow their minds with what you’re capable of.

For questions, comments, or to volunteer for the show, visit BrandyGillmore.com. Until next time, take care of your mind, your energy, and your beautiful self.