You have a great job, a great family and life is looking good. But are you keeping your mind active, or are you allowing it to stagnate? It is important to do a wide range of mentally challenging activities to keep your mind in tip-top condition, but there are other aspects of your life and lifestyle that can have an impact too.
Continuous Learning
When you learn a new skill or a new piece of information, or get to grips with a new activity, your brain literally grows. It forms new synaptic connections between your neurons. These connections are the key to intelligence, memory and information processing, so the more you have, the better. The key is to learn new things, not just revisit old ones:
- Reading. Read about current affairs, buy a daily paper, read books on a wide range of topics. This will not only improve your understanding of the world at large, but it will improve your ability to recall relevant information.
- Interact Socially. Interacting with other people in an intellectual or social context (without alcohol) helps you to maintain and improve your social intelligence.
- Learn a New Skill. Learn to play the guitar, or how to write fiction, or how to paint. These skills improve your ability to observe and learn from observation.
Puzzles and Games
Playing crossword puzzles and doing other mentally stimulating activities has been shown to be a key determinant in reducing the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
- Play Puzzles. Puzzles, particularly word and memory puzzles, keep your mind active as well as improving your vocabulary and linguistic ability.
- Use a Brain Training product. The key in choosing the right product is to find one that is challenging and entertaining. Challenge is necessary to keep your mind active, and if it’s fun, it’ll be easier to keep playing it regularly. Beware of simplistic exercises – if you find it easy, it’s unlikely to be beneficial.
Physical Activity
Physical activity has been shown in numerous studies to have substantial mental health benefits. It is known that exercise relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety, and exercise has been shown to improve brain function and may even protect against dementia.
- Stay Active. If you can, walk or ride a bike instead of taking the car for short trips. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Take up a Sport. Do gym classes, or go running, or play a ball game. Exercise increases your levels of brain-derived neutrotrophic factor, which helps brain cells survive longer.
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is important for physical health, but it has been shown to be important for a healthy mind too. Healthy eating can prevent cholesterol from building up and reducing the blood supply to the brain.
- Eat Plenty of Fruit and Vegetables. Fruit and vegetables contain essential nutrients for healthy brain function. They also contain anti-oxidants which help protect your brain cells from damage.
- Don’t Eat too Much. Overeating can lead to hypertension which damages the blood vessels in your brain, and can cause diabetes which also lowers brain function dramatically.
These top tips will help to you keep an active and healthy mind, and will help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression too.
