This article was contributed by Annie Button
Amidst the daily hustle and bustle of our lives, it’s all too easy to overlook the importance of continuing to challenge our brains daily. As work and family responsibilities begin to ease, it also becomes easy to slip into a more sedentary lifestyle. However, this is when it is even more vital than ever to continue stimulating the brain on a daily basis.
The good news is that there are plenty of enjoyable activities to help you prioritise both your cognitive health and an overall sense of wellbeing. Whether it’s learning a new skill or delving into a hobby, complementing this with traditional forms of exercise will provide fulfilment, higher self-esteem, and build mental sharpness.
Let’s take a look at some of the many enriching activities you can explore.
Learn a New Skill or Hobby
Keeping our brains active involves being open to learning new things. Consider taking a class at your local community centre on a topic you’ve always wanted to learn more about – anything from history and philosophy to a foreign language can be a fun way to keep your mind sharp and agile.
If you prefer more hands-on hobbies, try picking up new skills like painting, photography, woodworking, or playing an instrument. Many adult education centres offer short courses for beginners in arts, crafts, and music. Photography in particular is a rewarding hobby that allows you to practise technical skills while finding beauty in everyday subjects – it’s a skill that can be combined with keeping fit, too, such as photographing the local wildlife on weekly walks.
The sense of accomplishment and growth that comes from acquiring and mastering new abilities can be incredibly fulfilling. So, challenge yourself by stepping outside your comfort zone to regularly learn something new.
Read Widely Across Different Topics
Reading regularly provides considered mental stimulation. Try to read a variety of books, newspapers, magazines, and articles on many different topics that interest you. Variety is key – the more you mix up what you’re reading, the more neural networks your brain can potentially build, and the better you become at forming opinions and perspectives.
Reading fiction allows you to imagine new worlds and perspectives, while non-fiction reading builds knowledge and vocabulary. Staying current on news and events by reading papers keeps the brain engaged with what’s happening in the wider world. You may also consider joining a book club or starting one with friends to share ideas and have lively discussions. Local libraries also offer many free resources and may even have existing reading groups you can attend.
The mental exercise of reading may contribute to better memory, focus, and the ability to concentrate. But it also provides an enjoyable escape and sense of inner growth. Make reading a consistent habit and see how much it benefits your brain over time.
Challenge Your Mind with Strategic Games
Games that require strategic thinking and concentration are a fun way to keep the brain engaged. Activities like chess, backgammon, bridge, and even more complex board games, exercise logical reasoning, planning, focus, and visual-spatial skills. If you enjoyed strategy games in the past, join or form a local club to find regular opponents. Attending weekly game nights is a great way to keep social connections.
If finding local partners is difficult, many classic strategy games now have online versions allowing you to challenge players around the world. For variety, learn rules of new games and alternate between different ones. Making time for stimulating games, either in-person or online, provides enjoyment and keeps the brain operating at a higher level.
Embrace Mindfulness
Mindfulness, the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, can greatly benefit both cognitive function and emotional resilience. By training the mind to focus on the present, we can balance worries about past presents or future concerns we cannot control, reducing anxiety and strengthening the ability to remain focused on the here and now.
There are various ways mindfulness can be incorporated into daily life. A highly effective method is through meditation, setting aside time to just sit and quietly observe your thoughts and sensations as they arise. Creating a gratitude list can similarly help to focus on things we are grateful for, while colouring also allows space to slow down and focus on colour and design.
Being mindfully aware of your activities can allow you to fully immerse yourself in the present moment, heighten your senses, and give a deeper appreciation of the simpler things in life. By integrating mindfulness into our daily lives we can harness a deeper sense of purpose and fulfilment.
Travel to New Places
When possible, travel to new locations to stimulate the brain with novel experiences. Whilst big trips may not be feasible very often, even shorter excursions to sites within driving distance can expand your horizons. Visit a new city, take a scenic train ride, go on a weekend holiday to the countryside or seaside – anywhere you haven’t been before.
Experiencing different surroundings, architecture, culture, museums, and geography exercises the brain by exposing it to new stimuli. This assists with memory formation and cognitive skills. Joining a walking tour or booking a guide can maximise your mental engagement; learning something of the history also expands this benefit.
If extensive travel isn’t practical, explore new neighbourhoods in your own town, or visit free local sites you’ve never made time for before. Frequent change of scenery and discovery keeps the mind active and also inspires creativity.
Keep Your Body Active
While mental activities are crucial, incorporating physical exercise is also beneficial for brain health. There are research studies that show a strong link between regular exercise and improved cognitive function. Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain through the growth of tiny vascular networks, and also spurs development of new nerve cells and more connections between existing cells. Over time, this may make brains more efficient, flexible, and adaptive, enhancing performance.
Additional benefits like lower blood pressure, balanced blood sugar, reduced stress, and improved cholesterol support the brain further. Exercise helps the heart and whole-body function better, bringing ancillary cognitive benefits. Even as we grow older, aerobic exercise and using our muscles pumps more oxygen to key brain regions involved in thinking and memory. This boosts mental sharpness and may help delay age-related decline.
Stay Brain Sharp for Lifelong Wellbeing
Keeping our brains challenged and engaged takes some effort, but the payoffs can be immense. Implementing even a few of the activities listed here can help you maintain cognitive health and provide a sense of fulfilment. Maintaining an active, curious mind can assist with focus, memory, problem-solving, and could even help slow cognitive decline.
With so many stimulating activities to choose from, the possibilities are endless. Start small by adding one new habit every few weeks. Over time, these little changes have the potential to lead to noticeable improvements in mental sharpness and an energised outlook on life without feeling overwhelming to incorporate into your routine.
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