Your brain - Use it, or lose it?
Added Thursday 25.06.2009
The brain is a very complex device, still yet to be fully understood. However we know that certain parts of the brain undergo a rapid growth period in the first ten or so years. This is why early childhood development is so important, its sets us up for the rest of our lives. During our early years our brain is like a sponge, we are trying new things and experiencing many things for the first time. Though, as life progresses we often fall into routines and patterns -getting up, having breakfast, getting ready for work, driving to work, etc etc often in the same way we do every morning. Not much new is happening. After a period of time we sometimes feel we are forgetting things or feel not as mentally sharp as we once were.
We must think of the brain much like a muscle, and if you have been doing the same old boring things day-in day-out its going to look like a stick, all skin and bone rather than a ripped mountain of muscle with a six-pack! So we need to break our regular routines and give our brains a challenge with something different. Get the blood flowing to the old grey matter! (and young matter too!). The brain being a hugely complex thing we still know that by doing different activities we can form new connections or pathways in the brain, also called synapses. Synapses can also be lost, again, usually through inactivity. Trying new things and activities is healthy and will give a toning effect to the brain, but if we want to do some serious ground work, much like a body builder we need to constantly challenge ourselves and up the intensity, otherwise we will begin to plateau again!
There are many activities that can stimulate the brain - doing crosswords, playing sudoku, playing memory or logic games. If you are already doing some of these then great! But remember, you have to keep you brain guessing, try not to settle down into a pattern or routine, try something different! Even playing a different sport will give our brains new information to process. Have a look at our games section for some fun and interesting logic and memory games.
Other things you can try:
- Swapping hands (use your opposite hand to brush your teeth or do the vacuuming)
- Try using different senses (try a regular activity blind folded, or experiment with other senses)
- Drive a different way (either to work, or to grandma's, or even try taking a bicycle)
- Read a book (or different type of book),
- Join a different social activity
- Write a story
- Count the number of blue cars on the road
Remember, keep your brain guessing!
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Comments
Excellent points. I quite appreciate and agree with your view points. Thanks for sharing.