Your Brain Only Changes When You Do
By: Sophia Armstrong
Tags: Development, Mindfulness, Beyourself, Mental Health, Growth

Working on ourselves seems to be in the zeitgeist of just about every social channel out there. I find myself constantly being told by articles, businesses or others, to improve parts of myself, whether that be related to my compassion, productivity, level of knowledge, or even my body… But what is actually going to help create change in the most important area, my brain?

I have been doing some thinking and research on this specific topic and I’ve stumbled across the one thing that will help to change my brain, or more importantly, improve it. I discovered our brains have to learn something in order to create change. I need to be completing a task that I find challenging, whether that be solving a problem, reading about something new, discussing a difficult topic or exploring something completely new to us.

It is well known that as we get older our thinking skills often deteriorate: we become more forgetful, slower and aren’t as good at learning new skills. These challenges are not something I want to discover early by any means.

Thankfully I managed to find some easy ways to help develop those neurological paths in my brain and give myself a sense of satisfaction and achievement that I am helping build that very important ball of matter swishing around in my skull.

Learn a new language. The older we get, the harder it becomes to learn and retain a new language, but it is this discomfort of learning, practising and expanding my vocabulary and understanding of new grammar or sentence structures, which helps to improve and challenge my brain. Not only does it engage many parts of my brain but it creates connections between these areas which can lead to higher mental function. I am currently learning German and it is a goal of mine to be semi-fluent by the end of this year.

Have new conversations. Exchanging new ideas with friends or new people can be extremely beneficial in developing new ways of thinking, helping to challenge your brain and think quickly. Having intellectual conversations where you must help to justify reasoning and debate is something I try to have with my friends.

Playing games that challenge the brain. This can include things such as crosswords, sudokus, puzzles, visual brain games and logical thinking games. By playing these games I am sharpening my reaction time, enhancing my brains’ processing speed and improving my short term memory.

Learn an instrument. Music is proven to be a significant contributor to brain development and can help enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning and literacy skills. Playing an instrument uses both sides of the brain and helps to strengthen memory. I grew up playing music but unfortunately do not have my instruments with me, so every time I get to sit down and play the piano or clarinet I feel those connections in my brain recalling how to do it all.

Write every day. I have fallen in love with reading again and with this I have also found myself passionate about writing. Each day I am trying to write in some capacity which helps to improve my creativity and memory. Writing helps to boost my cognitive function and is also an amazing way of creating clarity by putting words on paper.

“Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.” — Carol S. Dweck

I put so much effort into exercising my body and keeping myself fit, but I sometimes forget that I need to put the same effort into keeping my brain healthy too. The key to creating strong brain development is by introducing challenges daily and progressing these challenges.