Boost Your Mind: Top 10 Entertaining Exercises
September is a month of knowledge and learning. Having an appetite for learning can last a lifetime and when asked what you’d like to learn or improve, it is tempting to list everything. Boosting your mind need not be so overwhelming though: brain exercises keep us youthful and intellectually stimulated for longer. Isn’t that awesome?
Today, the Collabio Spaces team share a collection of methods for keeping your mind powerful and ready for new challenges! Let’s go!
1. Learn New Words and Phrases
“Learn a new language, to will create new neuron connections”. Okay, this is great advice for people who are eager to speak another foreign language, but what if you are not ready for that? Learning foreign vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar rules, and other aspects might be very time-consuming.
We offer an easier option for those who do not have so much time. Learn new words in your native language or one you know to at least B2 level. These might be slang words, professional vocabulary, popular phrases and idioms. Keep it fast and useful — and you will establish new neural connections!
2. Learn Interesting Facts
Each of us was once a kid. We all wondered why the sky is blue and why the grass is green. Though we have learned many facts at school, there is still room for curiosity.
Did you know that tyrannosaurs did not roar at all? Did you know that cute sea bunnies are actually slugs? How about the fact that sweet hedgehogs are real predators?
Even if you knew the answers to those questions, we are sure there are lots of facts to explore! Just go to YouTube or turn on the Discovery channel on TV!
3. Play Games for Your Mind
It’s not a secret that people use video games for learning new languages. However, we’d like to discuss other types of games — puzzles, sudoku, memory cards, and so on.
Do you enjoy assembling jigsaw puzzles in real life? Then you’d be happy to learn that such games are available for your phone. We know how absorbing these games can be and do not recommend diving in too deeply. Better set a timer for 10–15 minutes, relax your mind while playing games and then get back to your usual schedule.
4. Socialise with Stimulating People
We are all stimulated by different things and meeting different people can help us stay in tune with a healthy state of mind. Just think, you can communicate as much as you like and with anyone. But does the same old gossip about your mutual acquaintances really stimulate you? It is unlikely. Engage in a stimulating social life and enjoy fresh discussions. Talk of news, science, technology, and other interesting theories and refresh your thinking.
5. Listen to Songs Lyrics
Songwriters, like poets, use comparisons and metaphors. They almost never say directly what their songs are about. Searching for hidden meanings in familiar tracks is another exciting activity. Moreover, you can learn both new phrases and slang words from the songs. It is amazing to realise how much you have missed — even in those favourite tracks.
6. Try New Hobbies
There is always something new to be found — even for the most active of people.
Drawing, knitting, pottery, dancing, yoga… The list is endless. If you need something to choose from, visit this page on Wikipedia and find the best fit for you! Even if you don’t stay with that hobby too long, the benefits of trying something new with stay with you. The process of learning anything creates connections in your brain and is always worth your time.
7. Learn and Teach
When you learn new things and explain them to someone else, you memorise at the next level. Even if you teach people what you already know, you’ll boost this skill or knowledge.
Why? Explaining requires a deep understanding of what you are doing and why. As you teach others, you look at your experience as if from the outside. Perhaps this technique will help you find a shortcut or fix mistakes that you had not noticed before.
8. Take New Routes
Everyone knows this advice, but often fail to put it into practice. In fact, it’s a great idea to leave the house a little earlier and mix your route up. Get to where you need in an unusual way. If you go there on foot, walk the other side of the street, take a look at familiar houses from a new angle, stop at an unfamiliar café, visit the park if it is on your way. New experiences are guaranteed! Do the same if driving; take the country lane instead or stop somewhere new. Just check for unwanted traffic before you head out. ;)
9. Notice the Detail
Another fun game is to notice the details in people you interact with. It is usually recommended to memorise only four things, but if you want to compete with Sherlock, memorise more!
For example, you go to a meeting with a friend and on the way home you think back to what colour their jacket was, what pattern was on their bag, what accessories they wore. If you communicate with new people, notice their eye color, facial features, hairstyle. Recall them back afterwards. Most importantly, do not forget their names! :D
10. Eat Something New
Delicious food brings natural delight to every human on the planet. Why not pamper your taste buds? Discover new combinations of tastes and experiment with exotic ingredients. Perhaps try to make a dish yourself and teach your friends to cook it afterward!
11. Draw a Map of Your Memory
If you find it difficult to remember several things at the same time, try visualizing them. Such a creative approach will make it easier to find information on the memory shelves. You can even draw a map on paper.
When you need to memorise important information, imagine putting it in a certain place on your map. Remember the way around your “shelving” and make it easier to find the necessary piece in your memory.
12. Try Writing with Another Hand
This is the last of our suggestions to develop the second hemisphere of the brain. When we write with the leading hand, it is mainly one hemisphere that works, and when we start writing with the other, it is perceived as something completely new and incomprehensible, but this makes it possible to improve neural connections in the second one. So, you can strengthen the development of logical thinking or creativity simply by using the other hand! Being playful is key to exercising stimulation, too! Have fun with it.
