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Hippo Critters, Saint Paul, MN (2026)

01/29/2023

Hippo & Bird are back to address that age-old question...

Why do we cling to (and even fight over) dogmatic beliefs when there is SO MUCH scientific evidence and information that can help us better understand and accept ourselves and each other more fully and healthfully?

The answer lies in our brain and nervous system...

That we too often ignore and neglect, without proper education or understanding, in a safe and accessible way...

That's the reason I created Hippo Critters!

💯🧠💜🌈

🐦 More specifically, how our unconscious emotional response (represented by Bird) receives neurological signals and energy FIRST (accounting for 90-95% of brain activity)...

🦛 Thereby inhibiting our consciously thoughtful prefrontal cortex (represented by Hippo) that powers comprehension, empathy, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, impulse control, and emotional regulation (i.e. deescalation).

That's why when we're driven by dogmatic beliefs (i.e. "good vs. evil") it's MUCH HARDER to consider, comprehend, and accept facts and information that challenge our beliefs (and biases)...

Because emotion-driven beliefs are MUCH HARDER to change once they have become neurologically embedded in our unconscious nervous system through repetition and reinforcement---through fear and reward from those who share them (that is part of confirmation bias).

That's also why...

The KEY to , , , and (especially or ) is developing skills...

To , , and the prefrontal cortex...

To comprehend new information and scientific discovery even when it challenges our embedded dogmatic beliefs that triggers our unconscious stress response.

💯🧠💜🌈

01/08/2023

My friends Hippo and Bird are back with a little cognitive comic...

That's not so much knee slapping as head scratching...

With an age-old question that still trips us humans up...

WHY is healthful change SO HARD?

Why do we get stuck in old ways and thought patterns?

Why are we so resistant to challenging our own unhealthful and ?

🤔🧠💜🌈

The MAIN reason is how the human and nervous system work...

With energy flowing more freely through established ...

That in turn causes neurological stress/resistance when we try to redirect it...

Due to the power of our unconscious autonomic nervous system that drives our and .

To help illustrate...

🦛 Hippo represents our consciously thoughtful prefrontal cortex that slow but mighty, powering , , , , and (that accounts for 5-10% of brain activity and isn't fully developed until around the age of 25, that can develop differently in different people -- )...

🐦 Bird represents our unconsciously defensive amygdala that's small but FAST, fully developed from birth to keep us alive without conscious effort, directly connected to our autonomic nervous system that accounts for 90-95% of brain activity, receiving neurological signals FIRST to drive our emotions and stress response (including our heartfelt and gut feelings).

💯🧠💜🌈

This is why practicing and are SO IMPORTANT to developing healthful habits and behaviors...

To allow our prefrontal cortex to CATCH UP to our autonomic nervous system...

To our emotions and control our impulses, to find the we need to healthful neuropathways (including , , and )...

That can be so easily overpowered by our unconscious response.

So please be aware, patient, and hopeful with yourself and others when trying to make healthful change...

Because healthful change takes time, effort, and practice to navigate stress to achieve healthful outcomes!

💯🧠💜🌈

12/14/2022

Hippo & Bird are back discuss the complex nature of emotional expression...

💯🧠💜🌈

🦛 Hippo represents our consciously thoughtful PREFRONTAL CORTEX that powers empathy, critical thinking, problem solving, impulse control, and emotional regulation (that isn't fully developed until around the age of 25 --- with various developmental differences between people too)...

🐦 While Bird represents our primitive baby brain that is our AMYGDALA (fully developed at birth and with us until we die) that drives our unconscious emotions and stress response by receiving neurological signals FIRST, thereby taking energy AWAY from our higher-functioning prefrontal cortex (the reason conscious emotional awareness is an important practice for emotional regulation --- to redirect energy in our nervous system, that's ESPECIALLY hard when we're STRESSED).

This is why and are so wonderful in theory but difficult in practice.

When we can't control how others think, feel, or behave...

It triggers our unconscious stress response and inhibits our prefrontal cortex...

So we create laws to prevent and punish "bad" behaviors in an attempt to control them, that helps reduce our unconscious stress response...

But what is "bad" for one isn't always "bad" for another...

And punishment doesn't always address the unconscious driver of behaviors (and can actually INCREASE stress, fear, and anger)...

Nor does punishment reward or reinforce how to HEALTHFULLY express and process emotions...

This is why it's SO IMPORTANT to demonstrate, teach, reward, and repeat different forms of HEALTHFUL emotional expression...

That's not just about protecting your OWN freedom, but also the freedom of others who might think, feel, and behave differently than you (who might trigger your stress response)...

For us ALL to learn and practice how to healthfully navigate our differences, to help REGULATE our unconscious stress response that drives those unhealthy, destructive, violent, aggressive, and abusive behaviors.

12/02/2022

Why is asking for help SO HARD??

While we might say "it's better to give than receive" as a virtuous phrase...

As a matter of fact, it's MUCH BETTER to seek & receive the help you need whenever/however you need it than to struggle on your own!!

💯🧠💜🦛🐦🌈

That's why the first step to feeling & doing YOUR best includes seeking & finding the help, resources & support YOU need --- with learning & acceptance (sometimes with the help of a ) --- to shed the shame & stigma that SO MANY of us have been taught & told (often with good intention, but often with outdated information).

Wishing you & yours a HEALTHFUL holiday season (whether you give a gift or not)!

🧠💜🐦🦛🌈

11/20/2022

Hippo & Bird are back with this important mental health & fitness reminder (that dates way back to Buddha!)...

What you think, you become (through neurological repetition & reinforcement).

💯🧠💜🌈

This goes for healthful AND unhealthful thoughts & feelings (that drive our thoughts unconsciously).

🐦 Bird represents our small but MIGHTY amygdala connected to our unconscious autonomic nervous system that drives 90-95% of brain activity, including our long-term memories, emotions & stress response --- fully developed at birth, that receives neurological signals FIRST.

🦛 Hippo is our consciously mature prefrontal cortex that functions BEST when we're not stressed, since it isn't fully developed until around the age of 25, and receives neurological signals AFTER the amygdala --- with whatever energy is left.

This is why worrisome thoughts, traumatic memories, and complex emotions can be SO HARD to regulate when we're STRESSED --- and why we need to PRACTICE being consciously aware of our emotions & thought patterns that further reinforce those neuropathways (which is why unhealthful neuropathways can be so hard to change, and require repetition & reinforcement as well).

So the next time you call yourself (or someone else) something UNHEALTHFUL, be consciously aware, and redirect your thinking...

By calling yourself (or someone else) something HEALTHFUL!

💯🧠💜🌈

10/28/2022

Hippo & Bird are back to ask...

What motivates YOU?

🌈 Love, compassion, curiosity, cooperation, hope & friendship?

⛈️ Or stress, anger, fear, judgment, combat & competition?

🧠 And how can we reduce stress while maintaining motivation?

This incredibly important & challenging practice first requires conscious awareness ( ) of your .

Being consciously aware of how you feel can help energize your prefrontal cortex (portrayed by Hippo) that becomes inhibited when unconsciously driven by stress (portrayed by Bird).

When stressors trigger a spike & an rush (e.g., perfectionism, FOMO, shame, animosity, resentment, envy, jealousy, etc.) we can become dependent on stress as an easy motivator.

Unfortunately, keeping our nervous system in a chronically toxic state (that involves no conscious effort at all) also inhibits healthful neurological & physiological activity, including our metabolism & immune system.

Health, healing & development, on the other hand, all require periods of stress REDUCTION, to rest, digest & recover.

This is an important part of our human biological system that is too often ignored & overlooked at home, school & work...

And why is !

(So go be powerful by making a friend!)

💯🧠⛈️💜🌈

10/21/2022

My friends Hippo and Bird will be the first to tell you...

That destigmatizing mental illness along with other physiological and neurological disorders, diseases, impairments, injuries, and imbalances that impact brain function (including emotional regulation, impulse control, and related behaviors) IS NOT EASY!

But WHY?

Because of how the human works.

💯🧠💜🌈

🦛 While Hippo represents our consciously considerate prefrontal cortex connected to our central nervous system that powers critical thinking, comprehension, problem solving, emotional regulation, and impulse control (that isn't fully developed until around the age of 25, and is impacted by a range of illnesses, injuries, disorders, and diseases)...

🐦 Bird is really the one in charge, representing our unconsciously reactive amygdala that is connected to our autonomic nervous system and triggers our emotions and stress response FIRST (that is fully developed at birth, and last to deteriorate when we die).

💯🧠💜🌈

This is WHY it's SO MUCH EASIER to "say" we must destigmatize mental illness when we're not in a stressed state...

Than it is to DO it when we're in a stressed state...

When our unconscious stress response makes us want to FIGHT behaviors that we perceive as a THREAT...

By calling the person hurtful names that we "think" will make them feel bad enough to STOP behaving that way, and start behaving the way we want (that never happens without healthful influence and reinforcement... so the toxic cycle continues).

🚨🛑🚨🛑🚨

If we REALLY want to promote and to that surrounds mental illness, impairment, injury, imbalance, etc...

Then we must first PRIORITIZE and PRACTICE .

💯🧠💜🌈

10/15/2022

Hippo & Bird are back with a little nervous system satire...

🦛 Hippo represents the thoughtfully conscious high-functioning powers of our PREFRONTAL CORTEX that's connected to our CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, and helps us comprehend, empathize, think critically, and problem solve with thoughtful intent by regulating our emotional impulses ---- that also functions BEST when our sympathetic nervous system as rest, to get the energy it needs...

🐦 Bird, on the other hand, represents the primitive unconscious self-defense powers of our AMYGDALA that is connected to our autonomic nervous system, and is triggered by stress through our sympathetic nervous system that receives neural signals FIRST (before the conscious awareness of our prefrontal cortex kicks in).

This is why it can be SO CHALLENGING to listen, comprehend, and think critically when we feel threatened or attacked, and either shout or shut down as a stress response.

The ability to truly listen, comprehend, empathize, think critically, and problem solve isn't just a "moral virtue" but a real neurological ability that must be practiced and exercised --- that can also be more CHALLENGING when dealing with complex , , , conditions, differences, or any combination.

So when it comes to promoting & practicing the art of , it's important to promote & practice the art of , that includes awareness of , , and . 💯🧠💜😆

09/24/2022

Hippo & Bird are back with this important mental fitness exercise to challenge your brain...

What's the difference between an "EARLY ADOPTER" vs. a "CONFORMIST"?

In other words, how are YOUR thoughts, feelings, ideas, habits, and behaviors influenced by others?

🤔🧠💜🌈

🦛 Hippo represents our consciously thoughtful prefrontal cortex that powers critical thinking, creativity, comprehension, compassion, impulse control, and emotional regulation...

🐦 Bird represents our unconsciously reactive amygdala that powers our emotions and stress response, including our need to feel safe, included, and protected (influenced by perceived threats, peer pressure, demands, and expectations).

09/10/2022

On this WORLD SU***DE PREVENTION DAY, Hippo & Bird have an important reminder about mental function...

How everyone needs kindness, compassion, caring & respect, even when we don't think they "deserve" it because of how our unconscious stress response is triggered by their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors (as most struggling with a mental illness, neurological disorder, trauma response or neurochemical condition will).

💯🧠💜🌈

If we reserve our caring, compassion, kindness & respect ONLY for those we think "deserve" it (that is our unconscious bias), then we make the situation WORSE by not providing the caring, compassion, kindness & respect people need who are struggling, to improve their health, safety, healing & well-being.

So here's to consciously practicing caring, compassion, kindness & respect especially when it's CHALLENGING---when we must give it before we receive it.

Let's keep on cultivating! 💯🧠💜🌈

08/22/2022

Hippo & Bird are back to raise an important mental fitness question...

What's the difference between a "REASON" and an "EXCUSE"?

🧠🦛🐦🤔

There's often a fine line, depending on whether we understand and accept it or not...

A "reason" might be something we consider outside of one's control (that is really most things), while an "excuse" might be considered something within their control (whether they should "know better" or "try harder").

Just because a reason might be easier to reject than accept, however, does not instantly make it an excuse.

Understanding the "reason" can be a step toward finding a solution, while an "excuse" can be a barrier to resolve.

In the end, the BIGGEST difference is how we USE the information...

To help, heal, resolve, manage, maintain, or navigate the situation in a healthful way to achieve healthful outcomes?

Or not.

🧠🦛🐦🌈

So as a mental fitness practice, take a moment to thoughtfully consider whether the information provides a "reason" toward resolve...

Because rejecting reason when it's hard to accept can be a barrier to understanding and achieving healthful outcomes as well. 💯🧠💜🌈

08/06/2022

Hippo and Bird are back with a brain parody that could be interpreted a couple of different ways (depending on your perspective and life experience)...

🤔🦛🐦🧠💜🌈

1) You might interpret Hippo as wanting to help Bird (with Hippo representing the power of the PREFRONTAL CORTEX that drives one's sense of responsibility, compassion, and problem solving)...

While Bird refuses Hippo's help by representing one's unconscious stress response (driven by the AMYGDALA that perceives Hippo's offer to help as an insult and obstacle).

OR

2) You might interpret Hippo as meaning well but being unaware of what Bird needs while obstructing Bird's path (assuming that Hippo should just know without having to ask)...

While Bird seems rude by being so direct and ungrateful for Hippo's well-meaning intention (the result of one's unconscious stress response reacting faster than comprehension and compassion).

So next time you're in a situation to give or receive help, pause for a moment, breathe, and comprehend the situation and intention...

Even if someone doesn't offer the kind of help you want or need, engaging your prefrontal cortex can help reduce stress and navigate the situation and communication in a more healthful and effective way, to find a solution and what you need. 💯🧠💜🌈

Hippo Critters

01/29/2023

01/08/2023

12/14/2022

12/02/2022

11/20/2022

10/28/2022

10/21/2022

10/15/2022

09/24/2022

09/10/2022

08/22/2022

08/06/2022

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