7 Easy Habits That Help Keep Your Mind Sharp At Any Age
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Do you misplace your keys often? Do you tend to forget what you had for your last meal? Or does your mind just feel numb? Well, that’s what happens with age — your mind loses its charm. The TV might tell you that your wrinkles and fine lines are signs of aging, and the people might tell you that your greying hair is a disclaimer to your old age. But, does anybody ever tell you about the tell-tale signs that your mind is aging too?
The brain is an enigmatic and mysterious organ. If we sit ourselves down to understand its working and complexities, it might take us an entire lifetime. But, there are a couple of things that we already know — as we grow older, our mental abilities dwindle. Aging can notably affect our memory power, but it can also alter our reasoning, spatial skills, sharpness, and verbal fluency among many others. So, how do we prevent this from happening? While we don’t have a time machine to turn back time, we do have certain tricks and treats that help us to rewire the brain to keep it sharp.
Here’s a lowdown on some of the easy tips to keep your mind active. (Reading is one of the tips, too!)
1. Say Hello To Cat Naps
If you love to sleep and wouldn’t ditch the bed for anything, you’re good to go. But, if you are one of us who struggle to get a good night’s rest, you should really consider taking a nap every day. These power naps can help us feel rejuvenated and active. It boosts our energy almost instantaneously. However, naps are supposed to be just for a short period of time. Studies suggest that young people who nap frequently show better concentration and learning abilities than those who don’t (1). Naps have the ability to better your cognitive skills and reduce your brain’s age by almost five years (2).
2. Break The Monotony
We become so used to doing certain daily habits that our brain tends to memorize these activities like the lyrics of a song. You know how we hear a tune and instantly start humming it, mindlessly? Same thing with the brain. So, when you are taking that road back home, take a detour and try some new shortcuts, or just change your routine a little today. Limiting your brain to a specific routine may make it stagnant and dull. Ergo, keep your brain on its toes. Shuffle your schedule a little. Do you usually go to the park for a run? Try going to the club today. A change in routine breaks the monotony and helps in simulating new parts of the brain (3).
3. Are You Right-Handed? Use Your Left Hand
The nature of your dominant hand is directly indicative of the active side of your brain. So, the trusty right hand is connected to the left brain and the clumsy left hand is connected to the right side. Each of which is responsible for judgment, language, intellect, creativity, empathy, and perception respectively. So, change your dominant hand once in a while to trigger the mind and keep it active.
4. Be A Learner
Do you know why children tend to learn everything that they see? It’s because their minds are young and active. Anyone who stops learning is putting their mind into a state of oblivion. What is that you have always wanted to learn? Knitting? Basketball? Or Pottery? Whatever you fancy, go and learn it! Additionally, learning new languages can also change your brain for the better. So, maybe learn to speak the native tongue of the city you are staying in? Researchers say that advanced education and learning can help keep your mind active (4)
5. Trick Your Memory
We have all made use of acronyms and mnemonic devices to remember our answers in exams, haven’t we? If you haven’t, this trick could come in handy. When you have trouble remembering names, long lists, or even a set of things, trick your brain into remembering them with fun mnemonic devices. For instance, “My very excellent mother just served us nachos” is a mnemonic device to remember the planets of the solar system, where the first letter of every word is the first letter of the planets in that order. If you still have trouble remembering simple things, write them down. Make a journal, a to-do list, or repeat it for yourself. Also, you can use mental visuals to make associations with certain things.
6. Thinking Out Loud? No, Reading Out Loud
When we read out loud, we are more active because we also hear ourselves. That is why we sometimes tend to make mistakes when we read quietly. (This happens while proofreading all the time!) Our brain circuits work differently when we read out loud.
7. Sweat It Out
Regular exercise — for the mind and the body — is really important. Crosswords, sudoku, puzzles, mind benders and the likes should be your favorite pastime. It not only keeps you engaged and free of boredom, it also activates your neurons. Also, sweating it out is good for your entire body, so go hit the gym, guys (5)!
And that’s how you can keep your mind active at any age. The key is to provide the brain with ample material to rejuvenate, replenish, and rewire. Keep those neurons on their toes and you are good to go!
