Challenging Activities to Challenge Your Brain

Why is there a need to challenge your brain? Think of how you go to the gym, jog, swim, bike to keep your muscles at bay. Now, how could you do the same to your brain? We all know that you can’t set an appointment for a brain spa or brain massage to keep your neurons at bay. As a matter of fact, brain cells die. But they do regenerate especially when you try to help the process. So, what could you do? Keep the challenges coming with the following: 

 

·    Learn something new – whether it be a musical instrument, new craft, hobby, sport, step into something unfamiliar to you. Knitting, the sax, forest bathing, polo, etc. are some of the examples you could add into that bucket list of yours. 

·    Try some silly but effective exercises - try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand or washing your face with your left hand of you are right handed and vice versa. Dong these simple exercises sends signals to your brain that something is amiss, thus, the brainwork follows. 

·    Enroll in a class you think is interesting and also take a class you think is not – observe your reactions. Sometimes when we already have our own set of biases, the brain starts to relax as it already knows what will happen next. Now, taking a new route like enrolling in a class especially the one you think is not interesting will hint new reactions from your brain. 

·    Do physical activity habitually, religiously and daily. This is not just for your physical health but to your mental health as well. Keeping the body healthy is also keeping your brains healthy. A healthy lifestyle has a holistic effect. 

 

The “challenges” above are just part of a long list of suggested activities to challenge your brain. If you want to learn more, there are handy eBooks available for easy you easy access. 

 

Why Bother with Cognitive Skills?

First of all, what are cognitive skills? It is simply defined as an individual’s ability to process his thoughts, learn and do problem solving. What has all these got to do with your life and being smart? Well, the skills related to cognition are: logic and reasoning, memory, visual processing, etc. so as you can see, these skills are vital in your life. How so? Top employers look for the following skills: 

 

·    Ability to focus on a task and meet deadlines

·    Ability to evaluate and give solutions to problems

·    Able to work with minimal supervision

·    Ability to observe and learn from observation

·    Able to read and understand materials

 

So, if you think it’s high time for you to improve on your cognitive skills, here are baby steps you could take: 

 

·    Know your stress triggers and try to address it as soon as possible. Stressed brain means poor cognition. Also, stress affects your physical health, so it makes it hard for the brain to reach its full potential if your physical body is not healthy. 

·    Take Omega-3 supplements or fish oil. It feeds the brain. Your gray matter is made up of mostly fats, and these types of fats are its friends. You could include nuts, spinach, soybean and wheat. 

·    Never stop learning. This applies to anything from a new hobby to Spanish classes. Learning something new initiates new neuron connections. And new neuron connection means healthier brains. 

·    Focusing on the improving your cognitive skills could also make you less susceptible to diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

·    Make it a part of your daily habit to exercise. If you can’t hit the gym, bike or jog, then stick to simple exercise routine you could do at home. Flexing your muscles also flexes the thing inside your head. 

 

If you feel you need to dig deeper, there are a lot of eBooks in the market today that tackles the topic at a more comprehensive level. 

 

How Being Smart Also Includes EQ

EQ, otherwise known as Emotional Intelligence is a measure (through a standardized test) of one’s capability to recognize and acknowledge his emotions and that of others. As a matter of fact, it has been said that it is, at times far more important than IQ (Intelligence quotient) to survive in this world. EQ can be akin to being street-smart versus being book-smart, or IQ. It is actually EQ that will help you navigate your relationships (family, personal, and work-related), success in career (because you need to work with people, not just machines) and life in general. So, after that being said, let’s move forward and learn ways on how to further improve EQ: 

 

·    Learn how to identify the toxic people in your life and do something about it, NOW – People attract energies and sometimes, when you are being negative, you attract someone negative and then you both drown in too much negativity to the point that you are not even noticing the saturation anymore. This is not good for your EQ. You are closing doors to grow and learn. Negativity makes your brain dull since there is no room for new learning. 

·    Negative emotions are a part of life, but it doesn’t mean you have to give them a room and invite them for a stay overnight – First, let us try to identify negative emotions. It could be anger, hate, shame, sadness or jealousy. The list could be long, but the focus is not there. Of course, you are human, and you may not have the power to make yourself feel only positive emotions. There will always be times when circumstances call for negative emotions. The point is to learn how to acknowledge and let go the negative, so you may start processing the situation and be able to move forward to the positive. 

 

IQ, EQ and social intelligence goes hand in hand. These are the three important factors you need to focus on if you want to improve your intelligence and your life. 

 

Smart Brain Defined

Were there times in your life when you felt you aren’t smart enough? You know, those situations that scream someone is better than you even without effort? Have you also experienced doing an all-nighter research, practicing until your head and hands ache already, and yet, your best turned out still not the best? Now, before you get frustrated and start experiencing self-pity, understand that there is actually more than one type of intelligence. So, this explains why some people are better in this, and some are better in that. To make it clearer, here is the list: 

 

Type of Intelligence	Characteristics
Logical-Mathematical	Interest in patterns, problem-solving, strategy games and science experiments. They love math, physics, chemistry and logic like chocolate. They are usually organized and disciplined.
Linguistic	These are the ones who are comfortable expressing themselves orally or through the written word. They love writing, crossword puzzles and storytelling.
Musical	These are the composers, singers and actors. They have the ability to see and hear musical notes. It has been said that this is one amongst the rarest type of intelligence in the world.
Bodily-kinesthetic	Think of the best athletes, dancers, sewers, crafters, woodworkers, carvers in the world and you got yourself a vivid description. These are the ones who show great control over their motor skills.
Spatial	These are the ones who create and build. Animators, architects and multi-media professionals. They are experts when it comes to processing thoughts in images and pictures.
Interpersonal	Ever wondered what charisma does politicians, great leaders or CEO’s have? This type of intelligence is the answer. People who possess this type of intelligence are generally good at sensing others. They are able to speak well and influence others.
Intrapersonal	This is said to be the rarest form of intelligence. Most often, people who possess this intelligence are misunderstood as they are often shy and quiet. But, in fact, they are the ones who are aware of their actions and are self-motivated.

 

It is always a good start to understand the different types of intelligence in order to know what you are trying to improve on. 

 

Social Intelligence and Smart Brain

How are social intelligence and smart brains related? The fact is, the relationship between the two has a major impact in your life that you may not be aware of. Not improving your social intelligence may be a hindrance as to why you are also not improving some cognitive functions, no matter how hard you try. How so? First, let us define social intelligence. It is actually the ability of build and sustain relationships. Aside from that social intelligence is also the ability to navigate social environments. Since man is undeniably a social being, then social intelligence plays an important role in the success or failure of his career, family life, etc. 

 

Ever experienced wanting to say an inappropriate word in public or to your boss but ate ice cream instead? It is called social tact. Being knowledgeable in it and practicing it could save you a number of unfortunate events and plenty of toxic discourse you don’t need in your life right now. So, if you are interested in improving your social intelligence, here are areas you need to check: 

 

·    Verbal fluency and communication skills – Social intelligence means having the ability to be in a crowd and go with the flow, to hold tactful conversations and listen to others’ stories with sincerity. 

·    Effective listening skills – This is the ability to make other people comfortable sharing things with you. this could be because of the trust people have in you that you have accumulated as a reputation through the years. So, make it a point to learn how to listen without judging or gossiping. Having an attitude that we all are in different stages in our lives and respecting that as a fact could help you understand people more. 

·    Knowledge in social rules and roles - If you are not sure what this means, then you could do your own research or have handy-dandy eBooks to make it easier. Social rules are often not written, but the impact it has on your life is big. The good thing here is that, there is always a choice to learn and improve. 

 

Happy socializing! 

 

Can You Eat Your Way to a Smarter Brain?

Absolutely! Indeed, you can eat your way to a smarter brain! How fun is that? But, is it as easy as it sounds? Let’s start by understanding your gray matter or your brain. It actually looks like an almond made mostly of fats. We will not get so technical about it but understand that the food you eat feeds your brain. The nutritional content of what you out in your mouth affects the function of this almond-like organ. 

Of course, if you feed it well, it could function well, too and if not, then you will have to face the consequences of doing so as well. So, what are the good and bad when it comes to feeing your brain? Have a look: 

 

·    To have a smarter brain, avoid instant food, fast food chains and artificial food – this is because of the chemical content of these food that makes it harmful to your brain. Ingested chemicals do not make your brain grow, instead, it hastens its degeneration. If you want to have healthy cognitive functions, then it is time to be conscious of what is inside your fridge and kitchen. 

·    Whole food diet – Whole food simply means those that come from farms and not factories. If your aim to have a smarter brain, then start by purchasing real food. This is because the nutrients from whole food can easily be absorbed by your body and distributed to your brain. Whole food includes – kale, broccoli, beets, spinach, brown rice, grains, beans, starches like sweet potato and fresh fruits. 

·    Use superfoods as brain boosters – in times when you need extra brain power, for example, an exam or presentation is coming up, don’t rely on sugar for the high. Instead, switch to superfood, which is safer. Examples of these super food that are brain-friendly are: chia seeds, acai, berries, dark chocolate, and different kinds of nuts. 

 

To have a longer and more complete lists, there are a lot of eBooks available in the market at your convenience. 

What If I have Not-So-Smart-Genes?

We will not have a debate as to whether it is true or not, that “smart-o-meter” is in the genes. However, we are to learn a few facts that could help you understand how your brain functions and how you could help it reach its maximum potential. Note though that there are irreversible damages that could be done to the brain like the result of malnutrition. So, the earlier the intervention, the better. Here are some tips you can apply, depending on your current state: 

 

If you are an expecting mother:

 

·    Be sure to follow your doctor’s advice and take folic acid. This is to help in the development of the baby’s brain. 

·    Do not take any medicine without your doctor’s approval. Over-the-counters are a no-no.

·    Never smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs while pregnant. 

·    Try your best to be in a calm and happy state as much as possible.

·    Eat nutritious and whole food.

 

If you are already and adult: 

 

·    First of all, stop thinking that you could do no more. If, unfortunately, there were complications when you were still inside your mother’s womb that could have affected your cognitive capacities today, then keeping a positive mindset is the first step in having a smarter brain. 

·    Have a supply of superfood (acai, chia seeds, kale, beets, berries, etc.). This helps nourish your brain and keep your neurons functioning. 

·    Educate yourself – Do not equate education with age. Learn as much as you can. Even those that you don’t like. You are never too old for a university. It is only attitude that grows old. 

·    Keep your emotions at bay – Remember that your emotions play a big role in the development of your brain as well. And, another thing to stress here is that negative emotions do not make your brain grow. It actually hinders it. 

 

There are still a lot of things you can do to help your brain reach its maximum potential. E-books are readily available for your convenient reading.

 

Creating New Patterns for Smarter Brains

Did you know that patterns or habits can be created? Good habits can actually be started anytime. You just need the will and motivation to do it and believe in it. A lot of successful people believe that our lives is the sum of our habits – good or bad. 

Take a look at this simple scenario, before when the internet isn’t still a craze, you go home from work and have tea and silence as your “me time.” But now that almost every home is with an internet connection, you changed your habit (whether consciously or not) to grabbing your smart phone and browsing your social media accounts. You may say that you see nothing wrong with this but, if what you are aiming for a smarter brain, too much internet isn’t the key. The tea and silence habit could be of more help. How is this connected to your brain? The answer is silence teaches you to be more mindful rather than your social media accounts. 

 

Why do you need to be more mindful to be smarter? It makes neurons and synapses stronger. Learning then, comes next. So how do you practice mindfulness? Here are tips: 

 

·    Breathe properly – This technique teaches you to be more mindful of the things you do.

·    Recognize your thoughts – Know when it is geared towards the negative or the positive and do something about it. 

·    Look for activities that uplifts you – practice doing a thing you love (biking, singing, baking) at least once a week. 

·    Try activities that challenge you – How about a French class? This will surely awaken your brain neurons. 

·    Mentally rerun your day – this is to know what habits to eliminate, especially those that doesn’t help you grow.

·    Have a journal or anything to record your mini achievements until they become great.

 

At the end of the day, it is still YOU who can change the situation you are in. For more regarding this topic, eBooks are abundant in the market for easy referral.

 

The Invisible Sadness Pool

Merely hearing the word sadness, can already make your feel sad. Well, the truth is, nobody passes by in this world without ever feeling sad. It is a fact of life, amongst other natural emotions and it is one of the most common end results of a heart break. If not dealt right away, it could lead to more complicated situations like depression, stress, etc. 

 

Though, being heartbroken is a circumstance you cannot control, how you react and how you handle your situation is something you can think through. This is where the invisible sadness pool comes to the picture. If you choose to drown yourself to your own sadness pool, then even if people around you try to give their helping hand, nothing can be done. 

 

Another important thing to consider is that, your sadness pool may be invisible to others. People might see you just fine or even happy, while you are actually feeling so low in the inside. You see, it is only you who can swim in that invisible pool. But then again, the choice is always yours. 

 

Heartbreaks can indeed, break you. it is one of the consequences of falling in love. This can be experienced not only because of a person, though. Heartbreaks can also be because of your passion, business, children, a long- time friend, family, etc. But of course, those that are romantic in origin almost always gets the spotlight. Romantic love is known for being the most bittersweet amongst all the other factors in the makings of sadness pools. 

 

This is not telling you not to fall in love. Think of it more of a reminder on the importance of knowing how to enjoy the fall and being on guard at the same time. Have all these confused you?