Why Investing In Your Mental Health at an Early Age Matters

WHY is so much of who we are and how we function as adults based in childhood? Take a look at this graph from Harvard. It basically shows that, although our brains are constantly changing and malleable across the span of our lives, our brains as children are MUCH more malleable than as an elder (red line). EVERYTHING we experience as a child gets encoded into our brains, soaked up like a sponge. And it stays there. Unless we make effort to change it.

 The graph also shows that as we get older, we require MUCH more effort to make those changes. At all ages, if we practice a skill, we will get better. But it will take much more practice for an older brain to make the changes than a younger brain.

The up side here is that no matter how old you are, you brain is absolutely capable of change. You never reach a point where "Oh well. You're done. You are stuck forever as you are now." But we also need to take note that the earlier we begin to make changes- especially changes needed to correct from unhealthy childhood experiences, the more successful we will be.

Just like investing money for college or retirement, the earlier you start, the greater your gains.