Your brain needs to be stimulated so that it can function correctly and remain sharp for as long as possible. It’s not just your body that needs training! There are many things that you can do to keep your brain healthy, and strong, like learning new skills, and languages and even talking with friends. Read on as we look at mental stimulation in more depth, what it is and 3 ways you can improve it.
You can use mental stimulation to your advantage by learning new skills that you could even take further and develop into a career – maybe you want to learn more about beauty and permanent makeup removal, or you want to learn how to take great photographs. Focusing on mental stimulation can help you develop the skills you need to progress.
What do we mean by mental stimulation?
Mental stimulation is a way of enriching your mind and improving your brain. It can describe a task, puzzle, or activity that you must use your brain to complete. Some of the activities that you could class as mentally stimulating are things like reading, playing a musical instrument, solving a puzzle, or simply talking to people. These are all activities that can get your brain working. So, why is it important that we keep our brains stimulated?
Benefits of mental stimulation
There are so many benefits that come with stimulating your brain in whichever way you choose, some of these advantages include:
- Improves brain function: You can improve the way your brain works during your day-to-day activities by ensuring you keep your brain stimulated. You can develop your attention, the way you problem solve, how well you can focus and your logical thinking by taking part in stimulating activities.
- Helps build resilience: Your brain can become more resilient to age-related illnesses, as well as other diseases and difficulties if you keep it stimulated regularly in a way you enjoy.
- Allows your brain to adapt and grow: Neuroplasticity is your brain’s way of adapting and changing, and each time you learn something new, you can rewire your brain for the better with various types of mental stimulation.
How to stay mentally stimulated
To keep your brain healthy and functioning as it should, thinking about how you can keep yourself stimulated in a way that will have a positive impact on your brain is essential. Here are 3 ways that you can improve mental stimulation.
- Train your brain
Getting your brain working is one of the best ways of mental stimulation. It helps your brain to perform and function better generally, but you can also choose brain training exercises that work on your attention or memory to name a few. You could try solving puzzles, learning a new skill that you’ve always wanted to try, or learning a new language. This will keep your brain occupied so that it can function as it should.
- Exercise
It’s not just your brain that needs training for mental stimulation, your body does too. Taking part in regular exercise means your blood will flow to parts of the brain that help with memories. Exercise also stimulates growth hormones, and as a result, creates new brain cells. So if you’re looking for a way of improving stimulation, it’s not just your mind that you need to think about, it’s your brain too! Try and aim for 150 minutes of exercise that you enjoy each week to feel optimum brain stimulation benefits.
- Socialise
Great news if you enjoy spending time with your friends! Socialising can help with mental stimulation, as it helps you to manage emotions – this alone can help to stimulate your mind and increase function. Your brain has to reach out to various cognitive resources to interact with others, therefore stimulating your mind. If you haven’t spoken to your friends in a while, or you’ve been feeling lonely, your mental stimulation may have taken a hit. Reach out to your family and friends, call them and have a chat, your brain will thank you!
