Your Brain Is Still Under Construction. Conveniently, You Have to Use It Anyway.

What is still changing inside your brain?

Just behind your forehead is your prefrontal cortex. Think of it as one of the main organizers in your brain. It helps you plan, control an impulse, solve a problem and stop to think about what might happen next. It even helps you reconsider something before it leaves your mouth. Very useful. During adolescence, the prefrontal cortex and its connections with other brain areas are rapidly developing. Those connections become faster and more efficient as you grow, gain experience and use them again and again. Your brain does not hit a switch and suddenly becomes an adult brain. It changes gradually over many years. But it needs experiences, trial and error, thoughtfulness and taking on impossible challenges to grow into a better brain. You already have a remarkably capable brain. Some systems involved in planning, self-control and complicated decisions are simply still getting started and better at their jobs.

Try it: Think of three times today you had to plan, stop yourself from doing something or make a decision.

Why is a good decision sometimes harder to make?

Jumping from a ledge into water without knowing the depth sounds like a bad idea. Easy. Now add four friends. Someone has already jumped. Everyone is laughing. Then a phone comes out. Suddenly, the decision feels different even though the danger has not changed.

That is part of what makes your adolescent brain so interesting. You can reason, plan ahead and make excellent decisions. But add excitement, a possible reward and friends doing the same thing, and your brain has more to consider. During adolescence, the brain is especially responsive to rewards and social information. Basically, your prefrontal cortex, which was considering the consequences, now has added competition. You add friends that matter. You add excitement that matters. Add that you do not want to be “that person” who backed out. That matters. The safer choice has not disappeared. There are simply more things pulling on your decision.

Try it: Take away the friends and the phone. What happened to the danger? What happened to the decision?

What does all this brain work need from you?

Your brain never really clocks out. Even while you sit still, billions of brain cells are communicating. Add learning, remembering, emotions, decisions and the rather large job of continuing to develop. That is a busy organ.

Sleep helps strengthen and organize new learning. Movement increases blood flow, bringing oxygen and nutrients. Food supplies energy and nutrients. Relationships exercise the brain differently. A disagreement or difficult conversation asks you to read another person, manage your emotions and decide what to do next. Apparently talking to another human being is quite the neurological workout.

None of this requires a perfect day. What you do repeatedly matters most. And here is why: repeated experiences actually change your brain.

Try it: Think about yesterday. Where did you get sleep and recovery, movement, useful food and time connecting with other people?

Why does doing something again and again matter to your brain?

Remember the first time you tried a new sport. You had to think about every move. With practice, some movements became easier. Your brain changed with the practice.

Scientists call this brain plasticity. Repeated experiences change connections between brain cells and help brain areas work together more efficiently. This applies to more than sports. You practise making decisions, controlling an impulse and calming yourself when you are angry. You even practise stopping yourself before saying something that seemed brilliant for approximately half a second.

Mistakes count too. You learn what did not work, change the plan and try differently next time. Your brain has that experience to work with.

You are living inside a rather unusual construction project. The building is already open. Classes are running, relationships are happening and decisions need to be made while renovations continue. Fortunately, you are not waiting for construction to finish. You are living the experiences that your developing brain is learning from.

Try it: Think of something you used to find difficult but now do better. What helped you improve: practice, making mistakes, trying again, or all three?

Try it: Take one mistake you have made that taught you something useful. What did you do differently the next time? (not make the same mistake is not allowed as an answer. LOL)