how we are designed to take in information
Our top left arrow is tied to our actual brain and a how we nourish it. Our top right arrow is tied to our mind, our motivation, our conscious awareness. Together these help shape the way in which we learn, take in information + the world around us.
If you haven’t already it will help to listen to the audio in the Nutrition module on arrow direction because in general your left arrows will be a more focused, strategic, action oriented, structure based energy and your right facing arrows more periperhal in their awareness, more fluid, receptive, process oriented energy.
In this module we’ll talk about how those energies combine especially when it comes to having the arrows face different directions. ;)
L < L <
Both of your top arrows (Body/Brain + Mind) face Left. I want to say first and foremost that just because you have what is considered a focused + strategic mind does not mean you are not creative. I am what’s called a Quad Left meaning ALL of my arrows face left and I am very creative. It is just about how that creativity moves through me.
These folks can be intensely focused. I cannot do two things that require mental attention at once. For instance, I’ve never been able to study while listening to music with words cause I start singing along in my head and then I find myself reading a paragraph 4 times because I can’t remember what I’m reading.
LL have a very linear, step by step way of taking in information. In this way the school system serves them in its current incarnation.
Some ways to support LL + yourself:
let them have uninterrupted time to focus.
help them notice when their mind is screwed into something in an unhealthy way, or stuck on a loop obsessing over something, an old story, limiting belief, that breakup from a year ago, etc..
use your focus to your advantage and focus on what’s working, where you feel supported, amplify the good
teach them in a step by step approach
practice contemplation, mindfulness + meditation (learn what works for you, maybe it’s a walking meditation or just sitting and observing your thoughts or sensation in the body)
have tools to shift your mind when needed like mantras, orienting your body, affirmations, etc..
let your mind wander and/or journal to get to the bottom of what you’re thinking about, to get to the root of the thought
feed them/yourself well
when you are stuck in the negative see if you can switch to the binary opposite. one cannot exist without the other. shift your focus to its opposite energy. or reach for a better feeling emotion.
cultivate routine that supports you
L < R >
Your top left arrow (Brain) faces Left and your top right arrow (Mind) faces right. This means you have a focused brain and a mind that takes in awareness in a peripheral way. Your Brain is focused on specifics while your mind is kind of sorting through all the details to see what’s important. This means you are taking in a lot of information thorough your awareness and you may find you know things you didn’t know that you knew when someone calls it out of you. These folks are typically really good listeners, taking in more than what’s just on the surface.
Some ways to support LR + yourself:
ask them questions to pull out information.
multi-task while learning in a less linear way than LL; eg; draw while listening to a podcast or teach your LR kid while they build blocks giving them more than one thing to focus on. Use interactive learning.
help them notice when their mind is screwed into something in an unhealthy way, or stuck on a loop obsessing over something, an old story, limiting belief, that breakup from a year ago, etc..
use your focus to your advantage and focus on what’s working, where you feel supported, amplify the good
when your kid is focused on something, figure out how to use that as a tool for learning rather than trying to pull them form the thing holding their focus.
let them look at things from lots of different angles to learn
get them to be present, to pay attention rather than “focus”
when you are stuck in the negative see if you can switch to the binary opposite. one cannot exist without the other. shift your focus to its opposite energy.
feed them/yourself well
cultivate routine that supports you
R > L <
This means your brain is taking in information peripherally while your awareness can be quite focused. These folks have a vast amount of knowledge they’ve picked up along the way, like a sponge absorbing information. However, they don’t always know what they know until you or someone calls it out of them/you. It helps also to point them in the direction of what they should be focusing on with their awareness. They are taking in A LOT and often times can use a little direction.
Some ways to support RL + yourself:
memory games, scavenger hunts, those books where you find what’s missing or remember where things were
ask them questions to call out out the information
read all the steps first before taking action
let them know what they are getting into ahead of time. those intro chapters that tell you what every chapter of the book is going to be about drive me crazy b/c I feel like, yeah, I’m going to read that, I don’t need to read it before I read it, but this kind of thing is perfect for these folks. ;)
alternative ways of teaching them, ways to make it dynamic and fun
eat smaller meals so you never feel weighted down by digestion, always stop eating before you’re full.
multi-task while learning in a less linear way than LL; eg; draw while listening to a podcast or teach your RL kid while they build blocks giving them more than one thing to focus on. Use interactive learning. Those Montessori programs or learning in nature can be great for these kids.
invite them to be present
allow yourself flexibility where you can in your days. Routine + structure that is rigid does not serve you.
R > R >
Both of your top arrows Brain + Awareness are more fluid in nature. This means you have a passive brain and a receptive mind. You take in information peripherally, are more process than action oriented and in many ways may feel opposite of the way society has been assembled. We have been in a very Left centric time and therefore the way school is traditionally structured may not serve you as well as someone with a focused awareness and/or brain. We are, however, moving more towards a “right” energy as we shift into the new paradigm.
Some ways to support RR + yourself:
do not get caught up in the details.
question them to see what they remember, to call out the details. they don’t always know what they know until you do.
these are not linear, step by step learners. They are not focused but here to be present. They are taking in A LOT of information and may miss details for the sheer amount they are taking in.
interactive learning is good for these folks, looking at something from different angles, watching a video, actually doing the thing
if possible Montessori style, outdoor learning, alternative spaces to learn in a more non-linear way
eat smaller meals so you never feel weighted down by digestion, always stop eating before you’re full.
multi-task while learning; eg; draw while listening to a podcast or teach your RR kid while they build blocks giving them more than one thing to focus on.
invite them to be present
allow yourself flexibility where you can in your days. Routine + structure that is rigid does not serve you.