With all of the knowledge we have acquired in recent years regarding proper self-care, healthy eating, and getting sufficient exercise, it should be no surprise to find out that our minds need just as much, if not more, stimulation and exercise than we think. Without healthy mental functions and processes taking place we essentially are ineffective in tending to the other areas of our lives. Below are five simple, proactive things you can do on a regular basis to improve the power and strength of your mind. By implementing and practicing them regularly, you will indeed see improvements in the way you think, the speed in which you process information, and your ability to problems solve in a much more effective manner.
Increasing Your Brain Power
1. Implement a Proper Balanced Diet & Exercise Routine.
Making sure you are eating foods which contain no added fats, sugars, additives, or preservatives is important to thinking clearly. Be sure to include plenty of fruits and vegetables, such as fish, which contains Omega-3 acids, which boost brain power by leaps and bounds.
Also Read: 7 Tips for Staying Focused at Workspace
2. Take up a “mental” hobby.
Whether you enjoy doing crossword puzzles and word games or participating in board games such as Scrabble or games of strategy, such as Risk, chess, or Othello, you are exercising your mind. These types of activities exercise and strengthen our ability to problem solve effectively and implement strategy properly.
3. Sleep to get smarter.
While we have recently learned that the adult male or female does not require as much nightly sleep as we once believed, the fact remains that getting a sufficient amount of sleep every day not only rejuvenates the body, but it repairs the mind, stores both long and short-term memories, and enable one to make quality decisions. When we neglect the sleep we so badly need we are working against ourselves. Sleep simply empowers you to be a better thinker, which in turn improves performance.
4. Memorization and Recitation
This is an easy and convenient way to get mental exercise on short notice. Some memorize scripture, others choose a new word from the dictionary, and others may choose uplifting and motivational quotes. By committing things to memory intentionally and on a regular basis you are getting daily exercise on the sly, even when you think you don’t have time.
Also Read: How Yoga Increases The Immunity and Sharpen Memory
One of my personal favorite mental stimulation involves making a small purchase; you will buy a desktop flip calendar. These come with an new quote, word and its definition, or scripture, and are created for the purpose of memorization and building your brain muscles. These can be found at any gift shop, religious store, or stationery boutique. You can even create your own.
5. Math is good…
One of the most beneficial things you can do to build your mental strength is to engage in math. Whether you love it or hate it, mathematics exercises not only the brain’s ability to do simply addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication, but math also increases deduction and problem solving skills, as well as your ability to create order out of what appears to be chaos. It is a wonderful tool for building the mind.
By taking a good, hard look at your personality, the way you learn, and the techniques which aid you in learning well, choose mental activities that will not only benefit your efforts for improvement, but will also be enjoyable for you. Rid yourself of self-doubt and trepidation regarding whether or not you can “do it”, because you CAN. Focus and make a determined decision to commit and act. You will see the growth, and you will be glad you did.
