As we get older it is our short term memory that fades rather than our long term memory. Perhaps we have evolved like this so that we are able to tell the younger generation about the stories and experiences that have formed us which may be important to subsequent generations if they are to thrive.I worry though, about what might happen to our minds if most of the stories we hear are about greed, war, and atrocity

In order to stretch ourselves we do need to experience the vulnerability of not knowing the outcome.

If we think of our brains as a map, those early roads are like grooves, tram tracks, easy to fall into.

If someone is depressed they tend to retreat within the inner circle of their comfort zone which in the longer term, may contribute to exacerbating a problem rather than soothing it and if not seeking to expand the comfort zone becomes the norm.

When we had to survive on our wits, gather and kill our food from scratch and be more at the mercy of our environment than we are today, we probably had enough challenge to keep our brains healthy.

If we keep practicing mental skills it is likely we can strengthen neural connections and make new connections.

Our emotional map is laid down mainly in relationship with our earliest caregiver in the first couple of years of life.