Are you looking for ways to stimulate your mind? Stimulating your mind doesn’t always have to be studying or solving math problems, it can be pleasurable and you won’t even realize you’re strengthening your brain. Here are 10 easy, everyday ways to strengthen your brain, and you’ll likely find that you already do some of them!
Puzzle: Crosswords? Sudoku? Puzzle? These are just three of the hundreds of types of puzzles out there. The good news is that, in addition to being a pleasurable activity, puzzles have a positive impact on brain function.
A study published in Journal of the International Society of Neuropsychology focused on crossword puzzles and dementia found that those who completed regular crossword puzzles had a delay of 2.54 years in the onset of dementia.
Chess: Chess is a game played and enjoyed by many, but the number of effects it has on the brain is not thought of. Chess increases your problem-solving skills, the ability to think and react quickly, and even your creativity.
As you play chess, the left and right hemispheres of the brain are activated and more neural connections are formed. Chess has also been seen to improve memory by remembering rules as well as past moves that worked or didn’t work in previous games.
To read: Reading brings many benefits to your body, such as relaxation, improved intelligence, concentration and much more. Reading expands our minds by learning new vocabulary, learning to read “between the lines” and understanding certain social situations or problems.
Fiction also has the advantage of heightening our creativity by placing us in the story or visualizing the qualities of fiction as real.
Other mind-stimulating activities
Physical activity: A good workout not only makes you feel good physically, but also emotionally and mentally. During physical activity, the brain is significantly stimulated. In a study published in Frontiers of Psychology exercise has been found to increase gray matter, blood flow, academic performance, cognitive abilities and decrease the risk of developing dementia.
Learn to play an instrument: Learning to play an instrument and playing an instrument in general has positive effects on the brain. The process of learning to read musical notes and then translating them into performance creates countless neural pathways that didn’t exist before.
Playing instruments also increases your ability to retain information and your memory function based on memorizing notes. It also increases blood flow to the brain, specifically the left hemisphere.
In a study published in the journal neuropsychology musicians with 10 years of experience had better non-verbal memory, names and executive processes.
to meditate: Meditation is a form of relaxation for many that has been shown to reduce anxiety and clear the mind. However, more than that, it has a particular effect on the structure of the brain.
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School studied meditators who performed a meditation 30 minutes every day for an eight-week period and compared them to non-meditators. Meditators have been found to have a higher concentration of gray matter in the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is responsible for memory, learning and emotions, so having more gray matter means meditation plays a role in boosting all of these skills. Meditators also had a reduced amount of gray matter around the amygdala, related to a reduced amount of stress and anxiety.
it also helps
draw/color: In a study carried out by Drexel University Drawing, coloring and doodling have been found to increase brain flow to the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision making, cognitive behavior and social behavior.
These activities sharpen the mind, especially when it comes to cognitive behavior, including memory, reaction time, and problem solving.
write notes: Has your teacher ever suggested writing notes by hand instead of typing them? The reason behind this is because it requires your brain to think about what you are typing instead of just typing non-stop.
By physically writing down the information, your brain automatically processes it and enhances your learning. Also, when studying notes, it is easier to process and remember your own handwriting than typed notes.
change route: Have you ever been in the car and suddenly arrived at your destination without even knowing how you got there? The reasoning behind this is that your brain is constantly using the same path; therefore, if you go to work or school the same way each time, no new connections will be formed.
A quick and easy way to improve your brain function is to take a different path to work, even a different path will make a difference as it forces you to pay attention and be spatially aware of where you are, resulting in new paths.
Switch to non-dominant hand: Doing simple activities like brushing your teeth, writing or brushing your hair with your non-dominant hand can stimulate and improve brain function. By using your non-dominant hand, you strengthen existing neural connections and can even create more.
If you’ve tried doing something with your non-dominant hand, you know you need to think about what you’re doing. This may seem like an inconvenience, but by “having to think about it” you are creating new neural pathways rather than simply going on autopilot on pathways that are being used constantly.
For the health fitness revolution. Article in English