The fastest ticket out of a bad mood is still the simplest: a riveting read. Studies have linked reading to improvements in depression symptoms, as well as mental flexibility and brain function. Make sure it’s a pleasure read — not the news, your computer manual, or even your latest book club pick. Find a book you’ve wanted to check out or a juicy magazine. Sock away at least 30 minutes every day to read in peace.
Your brain is similar to a muscle — you need to use it or you lose it. There are many things that you can do to keep your brain in shape, such as doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku, reading, playing cards or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Consider it cross-training your brain. So incorporate different activities to increase the effectiveness.
I don’t recommend any of the paid brain-training programs available today. These programs often make promises that they can’t keep or focus on memorization skills that aren’t useful in everyday life. Your brain can get just as good of a workout through reading or challenging yourself with puzzles. Finally, don’t watch too much television, as that is a passive activity and does little to stimulate your brain.
A key way to keep your brain working is shut it off for 7-9 hours a night. “Sleep is the most important thing you can do to reset the brain, allow it to heal, and to restore mental health,” says Romie Mushtaq, MD, a neurologist and integrative medicine specialist. New research shows that during sleep, the brain clears out toxins called beta-amyloids that can lead to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Negative thinking slows down brain coordination, making it difficult to process thoughts and find solutions. Feeling frightened, which often happens when focused on negative outcomes, has been shown to decrease activity in your cerebellum, which slows the brain’s ability to process new information-limiting your ability to practice creative problem-solving. Additionally, the fear factor impacts your left temporal lobe, which affects mood, memory, and impulse control. . . . Start by thinking happy thoughts, looking on the bright side, and refocusing your brain when negative thoughts occur. Your mind has the ability to determine how your brain thinks about what happens in your life. Use it to your own advantage to reframe events and think positively.
People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise improves blood flow and memory; it stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking. Be fit. Be smart.
Singing, Cognition and Dementia
As British researchers reported in the journal Dementia, a group singing program developed by the U.K.-based Alzheimer’s Society, called “Singing for the Brain,” may help improve aspects of memory, sociability, and mood in people with dementia. Though there’s no evidence that memory-dependent activities, such as singing, can prevent dementia, many experts think they may help delay the onset of some age-related cognitive problems.
I use the following strategy to keep a list in my head when I head to the grocery store.
I visualize the item I want with each number on my list.
Here’s how I do it. I’m heading to the grocery this morning. I need blackberries. I’ll visualize blackberries inside a hamburger bun. I need mustard so I’ll visualize a mustard bottle sticking out of my running shoes. I’ll continue this process for the items I need. After I make up my list. I review it. I might go over again on the way to the grocery. It never fails me.
Like your body, your brain needs healthy and nutrient-rich foods to increase productivity. The specific nutrients it needs are omega-3 fatty acids and flavonoids. Omega-3 fatty acids improve mental concentration and fight memory loss. Omega-3 fatty acids are in walnuts, eggs, pecans, leafy greens, oily cold-water fish such as herring, salmon, and trout, and oils such as flaxseed oil and chia oil. As for flavonoids, you can find them in coffee, berries, leafy greens–and dark chocolate.
Various types of exercise can offer this benefit, but walking at least two miles, biking, or running may be especially effective. “Steadily walking puts your brain in a neuroplastic state, which means it can build connections between cells more easily,” Susa says. “When walking to new places, you need to visually and mentally explore where to go next. Each place you see can bring different ideas to your brain, connecting different meanings.”
A 2015 research reportTrusted Source suggests that using all your senses may help strengthen your brain. To give your senses and your brain a workout, try doing activities that simultaneously engage all five of your senses. You could try baking a batch of cookies, visiting a farmer’s market, or trying a new restaurant while you focus on smelling, touching, tasting, seeing, and hearing all at the same time.
