Are you like me going into a room and forgetting what you went in for?
Do you forget what you are talking about in the middle of the sentence?
Can't remember names?
Most of us experience this and it is usually just because we are stressed or overworked. Our minds get tired and why not when they have so much information - most are trivial - hidden, making our brain cells work overtime.
We all have heard the saying "use it or lose it" and this is not only true for the body, but also for the mind.
Just as muscles need exercise, your brain needs mental workouts to stay in shape. Whether you’re 25 or 75, it’s always the right time to think about keeping your mind healthy. Strong-minded people live richer and more fulfilling lives.
Here are some easy ways to keep your mind fit and healthy :
1. Play Games
Brain fitness programs and games are a wonderful way to stimulate and challenge your brain. Whether it's crossword puzzles, , chess, sudoku, or cards, these games not only help to relax, but make our mind work, These games are based on logic, word skills, math, and more..so take some time each day to do activities like this.
Spend 15 minutes or so, not hours.
2. Get exercise daily
Physical exercise is also great for the brain. By moving your body, your brain needs to learn new muscle skills, assess distance, and balance practice. Both cardio and obesity have a positive impact on the brain. It can help your brain create new cells. Choose a variety of exercises to challenge your mind. A 30-minute workout a day will also keep your mind focused
3. Eat brain-healthy foods
A healthy diet can benefit your mind as well as your body. Make sure you have enough nutritional content full of healthy foods and include the complete B group Vitamins. Foods rich in fruits like antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to boost memory and alertness and have other benefits for good brain health. Glucose provides the brain's energy and therefore be good to include other carbohydrates in your diet. Eliminate trans fats completely from your diet.
4. Stay socially engaged
Face-to-face interaction with others attracts all senses and requires attention to both visual and auditory signals. Recent studies show that active social lives lead to a lower risk of dementia as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy. The dialogue is often unpredictable and requires active listening and response.
Communication raises ideas that's why to Introduce some "stimulating conversations" that make you think about your point of view.
5. Get a good night’s sleep
Again, just as the body needs rest, also the mind needs restSleep is the 'downtime' of your body and mind.
Scientists believe that our brains strengthen our learning and memories during sleep. Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough sleep have more trouble learning new information, and while sleeping after learning something new helps the brain put that information into long-term memory.
6. Turn Off /down the volume of Your Television
The average person watches more than four hours of television every day. Television can interfere with your relationships, your life, and more. Turn off the TV and spend more time living and exercising your mind and body or Matching the TV volume to the conversation level can help you catch every word when talking to others.
7. Practise Meditation Daily
Meditation is perhaps the greatest thing you can do for mind/body health. Daily meditation can calm your body, reduce your breathing, and reduce stress and anxiety. Meditation not only relaxes you but gives your brain exercise. By creating a different mental state, you engage the brain in new and interesting ways, while increasing the condition of the brain. Taking time to meditate or spending time alone with your own thoughts will relax your mind.
Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and spend five minutes meditating each day.
8. Learn something new every day
Learning a new skill is not only fun and interesting, but it may also help strengthen the connections in your brain.
Research from 2014 also shows that learning a new skill can help improve memory function in older adults. Learning a new skill affects several areas of the brain. Your memory comes into play, you learn new movements and connect things differently. Reading Shakespeare, learning to cook, and building airplanes out of toothpicks will all challenge your brain and give you something to think about.
9. Listen to or Play Music
Developing better listening habits will help you in your understanding, thinking, and remembering. Reconstructing a song requires close attentional focus and active memory. When you focus, you release brain chemicals, like the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which allows plasticity and quickens memory.
According to a 2017 study, listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being in silence. This means, cranking up some feel-good music can help boost your creative thinking and brainpower.
And if you want to learn how to play music, now is a great time to start because your brain is capable of learning new skills at any point in your life. That’s why you’re never too old to start playing an instrument like the piano, guitar, or even the drums.
10. Reading Books
One of the first things one thinks of when talking about stimulating the mind is reading. It doesn't necessarily have to be books, but reading, in general, is stimulating the mind. It also develops ones feeling for language, and developing the language makes one grow as a human. One can assimilate broader and deeper texts. This of course requires that we read texts that give us something. We all have a level of reading ability and understanding, and to develop our reading and our mind we need to deepen this ability and understanding.