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What if we told you that you can train your mind just like your entire body? That your brain is as capable as you let it be? We do so much every day to ensure we look our best, but we strangely assume that there’s no room for improvement in our mind. Strengthening it doesn’t mean something ambiguous — no, regular brain exercises help you keep your mind and mental health alert. Plus, it’s an excellent practice for preventing cognitive decline. This article will present several fun ideas for training your brain — stay around to learn about them!
Tips to Activate Your Brain
Our brains get a bit stiff if we don’t exercise them, but routines and lack of stimulation can cause that, even if we have highly intellectual jobs. Mental activation is a great activity in itself, but, as our specialists at theliven have found, it also makes you less depressed. Here are two simple activities that can boost your brain.
Reverse Routine
Most of us have our dominant hand, and even if not, we prefer to perform some activities (like brushing our teeth) with one hand while doing others (stirring the soup) with the other one. Let’s challenge it.
Pick a daily task you do on autopilot, like the ones we mentioned, or anything else, and switch your hands. It will feel clumsy and silly, but that’s precisely the point! Unfamiliarity wakes up your brain areas tied to motor skills and coordination.
Quick Observation Challenge
Has it ever occurred to you that if you spend time staring at an ordinary thing you notice every day, you suddenly observe many previously ignored details? This exercise is precisely about that.
Pick any object around you—a mug, a plant, your own hand—and study it closely for a minute. One interesting thing this does is encourage us to acknowledge that something we view as part of the world has unique physical properties.
After one minute, look away and try to recall all the details you can imagine. Imagine it as well as you can. This simple and quick activity helps you activate your short-term and visual memory.
Strengthen Your Attention Span
Because we live in a world of short videos and bright news feeds, we lose the ability to focus. Fortunately, it’s a trainable skill that we can relearn.
The Pomodoro Sprint
This focus strategy has gained popularity due to its accessibility. The basic Pomodoro structure is 25 minutes of hard work (no distractions!) and a 5-minute break. Over time, you get 15 minutes to relax for a longer break.
Set a timer for 25 minutes and commit to working on one task — just one. No checking your phone, no switching tabs. After the timer goes off, take a 5-minute pause. If you tolerate sounds and noises, open YouTube and type in “Pomodoro” and choose any aesthetic or vibe you want. Because this time-boxing technique is so popular, you will have hundreds of videos to pick from.
Find the Number Challenge
It’s both a game and an exercise. Grab a blank sheet of paper and draw a grid of random numbers (for example, 1–50 scattered across the page). If you have a feeling that you’ll get frustrated, try not to set a too-high number.
If you want to learn more about how such exercises help improve your brain function, more information can be found here: techtimes.com.
After that, take that same pen and trace the numbers in order as quickly as you can. Although it may sound simple, we are so used to looking for things in the learned way that our brains usually struggle with doing so if we have to search for things at random. You will train your attention to detail and visual scanning skills.
Flex Your Brain
We need mental flexibility to adapt to different circumstances around us, and it also makes us more resilient in cases of crisis.
Play a Video Game
Although we’ve all heard that video games harm people in one way or another, this is usually just a common misconception. Video games that require strategy, quick thinking, and creativity can do wonders for your brain while also entertaining you.
It can be anything, from an RPG like Baldur’s Gate to a farm indie game like Stardew Valley. Whether you’ve got an iOS or an Android, you can download a puzzle on your smartphone and try your hand (and mind) at one, too. What’s not to enjoy here? It’s fun and encourages you to build cognitive flexibility, decision-making skills, and spatial awareness!
Unfocus Time
Sometimes, the best way to reset and expand your thinking is by doing absolutely nothing. There’s a reason all intelligent people and creative geniuses have at least a bit of “do nothing time.” You might be surprised how difficult it can be if you have become used to always focusing on the task ahead.
Sit or lie down in a comfortable space where you don’t have too many overwhelming distractions. Then, allow your mind to wander freely without direction. The first few minutes can be difficult as you’re used to forcing your thoughts on something specific. Research shows that unfocused time allows your brain to process information in new ways and find creative approaches to problems.
Keeping Your Brain In Shape
We tend to put aside training our brains because it is associated with chores or too many tasks. Shifting your perspective to playing around can encourage you to try more. You should not force yourself to do the above activities if they don’t fit. Just think about what you would like to do and try it. Our brains need novelty and challenge, and there are as many opportunities to do so as there are people around. You’ll notice this “muscle” getting stronger as you experiment more often. You’ll become more focused, resilient, and creative, ready for any challenges ahead.