The journey to self-improvement begins by focusing on internal aspects of your being such as knowledge.
In order to grow, it’s essential that you’re always looking for ways to expand your mind and learn new things.
So here are five fabulous ways to help boost your brainpower.
- Exercise
Exercise can have a profoundly positive effect on your brain. For starters, it raises your heart rate, resulting in a greater flow of blood to the brain, which aids its functioning.
So consider joining a gym or a class such as aerobics or dancing – anything that will get your blood flowing. Or alternatively, if your current lifestyle doesn’t leave you with much free time, you can always exercise at home – it’s free and super convenient.
For more on the benefits of exercise for the brain, check out a health site such as Live Strong.
- Learning an instrument
Learning an instrument can benefit your brain in a number of ways. For instance, reading music helps improve your ability to process information, while your co-ordination skills are enhanced by playing and reading music at the same time.
Learning to play can be challenging, but it’s also really fun. Plus, you’ll feel super accomplished when you’re able to entertain your family and friends with your favorite tunes.
- Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation involves training your mind to be fully engaged and aware of the present moment.
By practicing mindfulness, you’ll learn how to better control your thoughts, stop them from distracting you from important activities and consequently benefit from increased attention and productivity.
If you’d like to try out some exercises, download a mindfulness app such as Headspace, which has hundreds of bite-sized meditations to help you find peace of mind.
- Sleep
According to health experts WebMD, sleep helps keep your brain sharp. This is because it gives your brain the time to sift and sort information running around inside your head and it’s, therefore, useful for improving your memory.
Also, by getting plenty of rest, you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed and energized which will enable you to enjoy a much more productive day.
You can find out the sleep time recommendations for your age group on the Sleep Foundation website. (1)
- Education
Education is an excellent way to improve your mind as it gives you the opportunity to advance your knowledge of a subject of interest, with the reward of a recognized qualification upon completion.
For those of who don’t want to return to the classroom, consider studying a for a distance qualification from an online course provider like Anglia Ruskin Distance Learning. This way, you can study from home and schedule your work around other commitments such as family and work.
By engaging in any one of these fantastic activities, you’ll mind will enjoy a well-deserved boost.
That’s our list! Share your thoughts on improving your mind in the comments section.
Ana Miller is a creative writer. Her topics of interest and expertise range from psychology to all sorts of disciplines such as science and news.