The brain is the most amazing part of our body. It is known for its creativity when it comes our thoughts and the way we express ourselves. It is also notorious for being a keeper of all the memories that it values while forgetting those that it doesn’t feel like remembering.
It is important to protect and nurture the functioning of your brain for your well-being and long-term health. It is also important to make lifestyle choices that help strengthen, protect, and exercise your brain at all times to remain healthy.
Following are four examples from Healthline to try if you would like to care for your brain.
Practice mindfulness
Training yourself to become more mindful can benefit you in a number of ways. For one, it can help you stay present and focused on what’s happening around you. Being present means, among other things, that you can give your co-worker your full attention as they explain how to perform a complicated task instead of getting waylaid by things you need to add to your to-do list, the dinner ingredients you need to pick up later, and the ever-expanding list of potential reasons your recent date never texted you back. Learning to mindfully direct your attention to one task at a time can help you gently let go of those background thoughts. They’re still there, but they’re resting more quietly under the surface instead of clamouring for your attention.
Plenty of people enjoy listening to music, but music offers more than a pleasant auditory experience. It can help relieve stress and improve mood, improve concentration and memory, motivate learning, and promote neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to adapt. If you listen to music regularly, you may have already noticed that it makes it easier to keep your attention on your work and complete it successfully. Maybe you even have a few choice songs that help you refresh between tasks and switch your focus, or a playlist that provides a sense of calm when you feel bombarded by anxious thoughts. You probably aren’t imagining those effects, so keep listening—music has plenty of benefits.
Focus on unfocusing
If you are Struggling to concentrate, sometimes the best way to solve this problem is to simply stop trying. Think of it in terms of physical exercise. Your body would have a pretty tough time jogging all day without a break, right? Well, your brain needs downtime, too. Letting yourself unfocus by briefly zoning out activates the default mode network in your brain, giving it a chance to take a rest. Just as sleep benefits you, this rest period benefits your brain. Unfocusing can help promote creativity, sharpen thought processes, and improve memory and learning.
Take a walk
Changing your environment and getting outside for a walk offer a great opportunity to clear your head and refocus. Improved creativity is just one of the benefits of a good walk, as 2014 research suggests. Walking also helps promote more freely flowing ideas, so a regular daily walk can help you “reset” when the same thoughts keep popping back up to distract you. Exercising for 20 or 30 minutes can help improve decision-making and reaction time just before a cognitive task, but walking also offers long-term benefits. For better overall brain health and reduced stress, try adding a brisk walk or any other exercise to your regular routine.
Also see: How stress negatively affects your brain
