Feed Your Mind

I know you’re probably very busy and have more than enough to keep you occupied. You already have plenty to think about without adding more items to your daily To Do list. Is that right? But how much time do you set aside each day to expand your mind? It’s an important question to consider because we know how much we benefit from regular, physical exercise. So, if we’re going to maintain and improve our mental acuity, it’s easy to overlook the fact that our brains need regular workouts too. And that means finding ways to boost our creativity, cognitive function and our all-round mental efficiency. Let’s take a closer look at this important issue.

If you find yourself irresistibly drawn like a moth to the flickering flame of social media, you really shouldn’t be too surprised. You probably know that social media are based on the calculated imperative to grab and hold your attention. It’s so easy to park your brain in neutral and skim over the waves of trivia that fill social media to overflowing with fleeting images of the superficial, the distracting and the irrelevant. Your fabulous mental powers will slowly atrophy and wither on a daily diet of empty mush. You need a healthier regime of mental activity that will strengthen and revitalise your ability to think clearly and successfully navigate complex issues. Your mind needs the mental equivalent of free weights, push-ups, resistance and flexibility training. So, where can you find this kind of workout?

Research confirms that our minds benefit enormously from fresh challenges, especially when we find ways to improve our cognitive skills in areas that are not connected to our daily work. Examples include learning a new language, an activity that can be very stimulating as well as deeply satisfying. Picking up a musical instrument and getting to grips with the skills required to play it well can activate dormant parts of our mental faculties. Reading about previously unfamiliar subjects invites the mind to change its old way of focusing and experience a new level of perception. Learning to memorise lists of data is a super way to improve our ability to recall all kinds of information. With a little practice, you might notice that everything is not only connected but that it also shares common boundaries and links with everything else. The skills you acquire as you apply your mind to new subjects can be applied surprisingly well to other areas of your life. You’ll notice general improvements in the clarity and depth of your perception and understanding. Your mind will become a sharper, more reliable and more efficient instrument that will serve your needs magnificently.

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