July 22, 2024

Cognitive Training: 6 Exercises To Sharpen Your Mental Skills

Do you ever feel as though your body isn’t working as well as it should? Think maybe you need more exercise to get it back in shape? Chances are you’re right – a bit more exercise would be really good for your body.

But what about your brain? Is it a bit sluggish? Maybe it needs exercise, too! For your mental skills to work at top capacity, you must train your brain just as you would train your body. Here are some ways to get your mind back into top shape!

Talk to yourself!

Does talking to yourself make you crazy? No, probably not.

Talking to yourself actually helps you to explore problems and find solutions. If it makes you feel more comfortable to call it “thinking out loud,” that’s fine. Just do it. Think of it this way – you know what’s going on in your brain, and you know what must be resolved. Talking to yourself might actually be the most sensible conversation you get in any given day!

Talk to other people.

Learn different perspectives. Whatever you think about something, you can bet that somebody else has a different take on it. Talk to people. Get different perspectives. Talk about those perspectives. You’ll be surprised at the insights you’ll find.

Do puzzles.

They’re not just for kids. Puzzles are for everyone. Try these:

• Jigsaws
• Crosswords
• Sudokus
• Word searches
• Anagrams

You probably have other ideas as well. Puzzles can help to exercise your brain, and exercise is important for your brain as well as your body. If you don’t use it, you lose it!

Play cards.

When was the last time you played a game of cards? For me, it was when I was in fourth grade and playing “Go fish” with my best friend. On the other hand, I know people who play poker every weekend.

Either way, even a game of “Go fish” can exercise your brain. So, you got any fours?

Pick up a book.

Reading is one of the best ways to enhance your mental skills. Pick something that interests you and read about it. But don’t just read. Think about what you’re reading and make notes. Then later, think about what you’ve read. Talk about it with someone else who has read the same book or discuss the ideas you learned with others.

You might even want to think about joining a book club. I know, it sounds kind of “old school,” but there are still people out there who like reading and talking about books. If nothing else, maybe you’ll find a group of like-minded people who would like an “ice cream night.”

Learn something new.

This can be literally anything. Do you have a facility for languages? Why don’t you learn a new one! Do you like to do cross-stitching? Try needlepoint for a change! Do you have a knack for cooking? Try a new recipe!

These are just a few ways that you can train your brain to work more effectively and sharpen your mental skills. You can find others. In fact, even just noodling around on the internet, looking for topics that interest you, can benefit your brain.

Conclusion

If you feel that your brain is stultifying, there are ways that you can give it a bit of a boost. Get out there and talk to people. Try new things. Spend time online looking for new things to do. Remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it, and that’s the last thing you want!

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/health/healthy-aging/brain-exercises/

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/brain-exercises#play-cards

https://psychcentral.com/health/brain-exercises#active-reading

https://psychcentral.com/health/brain-exercises#active-reading

10 Brain Exercises to Help Boost Memory (everydayhealth.com)

https://www.verywellmind.com/brain-exercises-to-strengthen-your-mind-2795039

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If you enjoyed this content, check out my Substack Newsletter on techniques for improved concentration at: https://theunreliablemind.substack.com/p/the-art-of-focus