Do you want to train your brain and make it more dynamic? Most people can boost their brainpower with the right behaviors and thought processes. Your habits and how you think affect how well your brain operates. To put it bluntly, two people with the same mental capacity could meet very different futures depending on their attitude and lifestyle. These tips will boost your success by helping you make the most of your mind.
Vow to be dedicated
The first step to a stronger brain is vowing to undertake self-improvement. Unless you are dedicated to carrying out mental muscle bolstering exercises each day, your mind will remain static.
Increase your motivation to make your brain more effective by writing about your journey in a journal. Put your insights, challenges, and successes in black and white, and you will have a handy track record to reflect on. Writing about what you do and how it affects you will also motivate you. It will prove you achieve successful results.
Challenge your brain
When you do the same activities, day in and day out, your actions become habitual. You need not think about them much because you carry them out on autopilot. Your brain doesn't grow since it isn't learning anything new.
Challenge your brain with complex tasks requiring creativity and problem-solving. It will help you forge new brain pathways and neural connections. Quizzes, puzzles, and learning new skills like another language will sharpen and strengthen your brain, and your mental muscle will no longer be flabby.
Practice reframing
Negative thoughts can stop you from reaching your goals. But you need not keep a negative mindset. Change how you think by reframing unconstructive thoughts. Reframing involves catching negative thoughts as they happen. When you notice them, swap them with helpful ideas. One way to achieve this is to look for reasons your goals are reachable. When a voice in your head suggests something is impossible, look at the evidence to the contrary. Instead of approving of negative self-talk, disapprove it.
Train your brain to focus on single tasks
People often used to think multitasking was a sign of intelligence. Now, it's clear focusing on a single task and doing it well shows greater mental efficiency. Stop carrying out several chores at once and select one at a time. Concentrate on what you do, and aim to do it well, whether you're washing the dishes or completing a work project.
You will train your brain to achieve high standards if you focus on each activity at a moderate pace rather than rushing through several tasks simultaneously.
Exploit your memory
If you have high-tech gadgets at your fingertips, doubtless you need not rely on your memory as much as your ancestors relied on their ability to recollect data. But memorizing is a skill that weakens if not used. Remember shopping lists, travel routes, phone numbers, and addresses, and your memory will improve. As a bonus, practicing recall will build your mental muscle, aiding cognitive ability in general.
Meditate
Research shows meditation can help you rewire your brain and build focus, creativity, and compassion, all of which are useful for most careers, relationships, and life satisfaction. There's no need to sit on an embroidered cushion from Peru and chant if it's not your style. Just sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, and learn to follow your breath. When unwanted thoughts attempt to override the exercise, acknowledge them rather than fight them, and move your attention back to breathing.
Alternatively, if you dislike being still, practice mindful walking meditation. Focus on your movements and breathe as you stroll through the city or countryside. Again, return your mind to the exercise if it strays, and you'll train it to gain insights, deepen your relationships, and find concentrating easier.
Develop new habits
You will train your brain to seek effective ways to meet challenges if you change bad habits for better ones. Select one habit change first and repeat the improved behavior again and again. Get used to improving little things and then bigger ones, and you will consistently rewire your brain and keep it strong.
Read more often
A 2009 study showed reading increases the white matter in the brain that boosts communication skills and information processing. You might think you read enough already, but Instagram, Facebook, and even short online articles aren't sufficient to boost your brainpower. Read in-depth stories, articles, and books, and your white matter will increase.
People often consider it wise to keep their brains in shape as they age, but it helps to look after your brain and build mental muscle at all stages of your life. Engage in mental exercises to boost brain functioning, and your mind will serve you well.
Sources
Academic.oup.com/scan/article/2/4/259/1676806?login=false, (meditation)
Bigthink.com/high-culture/reading-rewires-your-brain-for-more-intelligence-and-empathy/, (reading study)
Health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/train-your-brain, (challenging the brain)
