Thrive Boldly: Restore Harmony in the Three Brains

In the previous post, we explored how the alignment of the three brains—the head, heart, and gut—affects our behavior and emotional responses. But what happens when one brain becomes too dominant or overpowering? When one part of our brain takes the lead, it can throw off the delicate balance and cause imbalances in how we think, feel, and react.

In this post, we’ll focus on how to restore balance when one of your brains is taking over, and we’ll provide neuroscience-based strategies to help bring the head, heart, and gut back into alignment.

The Overpowered Brain: What Happens When One Dominates?

When one brain becomes “too strong” or overactive, it can push out the influence of the others, leading to unhealthy patterns in behavior and thought. Here’s how this looks with each brain:

1. Overpowered Head Brain (Cognitive Overload):

   • What It Looks Like: You’re constantly analyzing, overthinking, and struggling with perfectionism. The rational mind takes over, and you feel detached from your emotions or instincts. Decisions are based solely on logic, without considering feelings or gut instincts. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and indecision, as your mind is constantly trying to solve problems but without emotional or intuitive guidance.

   • Neuroscience Insight: The prefrontal cortex (responsible for logical thinking and decision-making) can become hyperactive, shutting out emotional processing from the amygdala and emotional regulation areas like the anterior cingulate cortex. This leaves the brain in a state of constant overthinking without the grounding influence of the heart or gut.

     
     

2. Overpowered Heart Brain (Emotional Overload):

   • What It Looks Like: You react emotionally to every situation, find it difficult to manage stress, or feel overwhelmed by your feelings. You may feel easily hurt or triggered, struggling with impulsivity or overreaction. Emotions often override logic, and it becomes hard to regulate feelings in times of conflict or stress.

   • Neuroscience Insight: An overactive amygdala or heightened emotional processing can create a situation where emotional responses overwhelm the logical thinking of the prefrontal cortex. Without the rational guidance of the head brain, impulsive decisions can take over, and emotional regulation becomes a challenge.

     
     

3. Overpowered Gut Brain (Instinctual Overload):

   • What It Looks Like: You’re always making decisions based on gut feelings or impulse without much consideration for logic or emotion. You may be highly reactive or “driven by your stomach,” making decisions that feel “right” in the moment but don’t always align with your long-term well-being. This can look like jumping into situations without thinking, or acting on strong, unexplained physical urges.

   • Neuroscience Insight: The enteric nervous system (gut brain) is deeply connected to emotional regulation and decision-making. If the gut brain becomes overactive, it can send strong signals that overpower the head and heart brains, leading to impulsive or reactive behavior driven by visceral responses.

     
     

Restoring Balance: Strategies to Re-align Your Three Brains

Now that we’ve explored the signs of an overpowered brain, let’s talk about how to bring everything back into balance. Balancing the three brains requires a mindful approach that nurtures each brain’s needs and integrates them into a holistic whole. Here are some practical strategies to restore harmony:

1. Overpowered Head Brain: Grounding the Rational Mind

When the head brain is overactive, it can be helpful to practice grounding techniques that bring you back into your body and emotions.

• Mindfulness & Meditation: Focus on the present moment. Engage in mindful breathing exercises, body scans, or meditation to bring awareness to your emotions and physical sensations. This can help you reconnect with your heart and gut brains while calming the overstimulated prefrontal cortex.

• Movement: Engage in physical activities that require body awareness, like yoga, Tai Chi, or even walking. Movement can help release pent-up mental energy and encourage connection with your body and emotions.

• Creative Expression: Activities like journaling, drawing, or cooking can help you express your thoughts and emotions more freely. Creativity allows you to “empty” the mental clutter and reconnect with your feelings and intuitive responses.

  
  

2. Overpowered Heart Brain: Calming Emotional Responses

When the heart brain takes over, it’s essential to regulate emotional responses and restore calm.

• Breathing Techniques: Use deep, diaphragmatic breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote emotional regulation. Box breathing (inhaling for 4 counts, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, holding for 4) can be especially effective.

• Cognitive Behavioral Practices: Challenge irrational emotional thoughts and reframe them with a more balanced perspective. This can help you engage the head brain’s logical thinking to provide balance to emotional reactions.

• Self-Compassion: Practice self-compassionate exercises. Acknowledge your emotions without judgment and offer yourself kindness. This helps you avoid emotional overwhelm and promotes self-regulation.

  
  

3. Overpowered Gut Brain: Bringing Instincts into Balance

When the gut brain is overactive, the key is learning to trust your intuition while also integrating rational thinking and emotional awareness.

• Slow Down and Reflect: Before making decisions based purely on gut instinct, take a pause to reflect on the emotional and logical aspects of the decision. Ask yourself: "What am I feeling right now?" and "What makes logical sense?"

• Mindful Eating: Connect with your gut through mindful eating practices. Eating slowly and attentively helps you understand the signals your body is sending, and it can help you differentiate between actual hunger, emotional cravings, or impulsive urges.

• Gut-Friendly Nutrition: Support your gut health with food that nurtures the gut-brain connection. Incorporate probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables, as well as prebiotic foods like garlic, onions, and bananas to support balance in the gut.

  
  

Recipe for Balance: Soothing Root Vegetable Soup

When your three brains are out of sync, comforting, nutrient-rich foods can help reset the body and mind. This healing root vegetable soup nourishes all three brains, with a focus on calming the gut and promoting emotional balance.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (supports brain function)

• 1 medium onion, chopped (supports emotional regulation)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (boosts immunity)

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (rich in vitamins for mood and gut health)

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (grounding and nourishing)

• 1 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped (supports digestion and energy)

• 4 cups vegetable broth (hydrating and comforting)

• 1 teaspoon turmeric (anti-inflammatory)

• 1 teaspoon ginger (supports digestion and reduces emotional stress)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley for garnish (supports brain and gut health)

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sautéing until softened.

2. Add the carrots, sweet potato, parsnips, and turmeric, and stir to combine.

3. Pour in the vegetable broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

4. Add the ginger, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth, if you prefer a creamy consistency.

5. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.

   
   

Conclusion: Achieving Balance for a Healthier You

Whether it’s an overactive head brain, heart brain, or gut brain, achieving balance between the three is key to feeling whole, connected, and aligned. By implementing mindfulness practices, grounding techniques, and nourishing foods like this root vegetable soup, you can restore harmony in all three areas, making you a more balanced, resilient, and compassionate human being. When your three brains are in sync, you’ll make decisions more thoughtfully, engage with others more empathically, and lead a healthier, happier life.