Aside from immersing yourself in regular physical exercises, it’s also essential that you pay attention to exercising your brain. The brain is involved in every single thing that you say, do, or think. Thus, like the rest of your body, you should take care of your brain too.
Everyone knows what would happen to your health if you don’t get regular physical activity. Your physical health deteriorates, you’ll have less energy, you’ll have a tough time maintaining your weight, and you’ll constantly feel exhausted. The same thing can happen if you have a sedentary brain. Failing to exercise your mental abilities can lead to poor memory, trouble in concentration, and difficulty in critical thinking and problem-solving.
All these can adversely affect your performance at work, school, and overall quality of life. Thus, it’s vital that you also commit to your mental well-being. Caring for your brain health can stretch out your mental capabilities, encourage you to improve your skills, make wiser decisions, and enable you to be more motivated to face any challenges.
To get started, here are five brain exercises to boost your mental wellness:
- Have Fun With Brain-Stimulating Games
Playing word puzzles, board games, Sudoku, or downloadable brain-training apps on your phone are perfect tools to keep your brain thriving and active. Plus, they’re fun and can be played with your family or friends too. With mind games, you’re exercising your brain while maintaining healthy, social connections with your friends at the same time.
Whether you exercise your brain through mobile gaming apps, board games, or with the traditional pen and paper, there are numerous brain-training games for you to choose from. For instance, you can designate a certain area as your personal space where you can concentrate on finishing your jigsaw puzzle. If you’re bonding with your friends, you can play board games as a form of bonding.
Regularly indulging in any of these brain-training games can help your brain ‘wake up,’ be more alert, and think, analyze, and memorize faster.
- Read Brain-Cultivating Books
For some, reading is only a form of pastime or hobby. You may see some people read lots of Facebook posts and online articles. However, reading alone from these sources may not be enough to exercise your brain.
The right way to exercise your brain is by reading brain-stimulating books that encourage your mind to analyze thoroughly, think, create, imagine, and formulate thoughts. Moreover, reading as many books as you can also expands your vocabulary, and therefore exercises your brain as you familiarize yourself with new words and memorize their meaning.
So, include reading as part of your daily routine. The new learnings you get from reading will also serve as your brain’s nutrition. You can grab a book during your free time at lunch or when you get home from work. The point is, you can set aside a time each day to let your brain tackle new ideas and formulate new thoughts.
- Solve Math Problems
Mathematics may seem like an intimidating subject for most people. But the good news is that solving math problems can positively impact your brain. You don’t need to indulge in complex math problems that require intricate formulas. Even simple word problems that involve using basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) are already enough to warm up your brain’s cognitive muscles.
You can choose to solve math problems in your head, use math apps, or buy a book containing different math problems and puzzles. Over time, you’ll notice how math becomes easier for you and a more enjoyable activity to do during your free time.
- Practice Meditation
You probably know that meditation brings many health benefits to your well-being. When you meditate, you put your body in a calmer state, slow down your breathing, and relieve your mind from stress and anxiety. Another good news is that meditation can also be a form of brain exercise.
When you meditate, you’re training your brain to be still and focus on your inner self. So, incorporate meditation into your self-care routine and spend at least 5 to 10 minutes meditating each day.
- Learn A New Instrument Or Skill
According to this study, learning a new skill can bring numerous benefits to your brain. When learning a new instrument or skill, your brain gets to work and has a chance to develop as it tries to gather new information and memorize them. Plus, learning a new skill is also fun, a mood booster, and can be a group activity you can share or do with your family and friends.
So, ask yourself, what skills have you always wanted to learn but never had the chance? Perhaps you’d like to know how to ride a horse, play the violin, read and speak a new language, or change car tires. You can watch video tutorials on the internet or take classes when possible. Now you have another reason to try again and learn that skill.
Final Thoughts
Commit yourself to look after your brain health just like how you invest in your physical wellness. Start by trying out any of these brain exercises. Soon, these will boost your mental wellness, improve your memorization skills, sharpen your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and empower you to do better at everything you do.
