THE New Year might have been a good one for some of us, with a new start giving us bigger and better opportunities than we did in 2015.
Perhaps for this year, we are looking into taking up a new hobby, starting up a fresh career, receiving a promotion, or even getting back to school for further education. The New Year poses a challenge for each of us to achieve more and improve ourselves.
With more responsibilities to take care of and more resolutions we hope to stick with this year, our biggest challenge would have to be keeping our mental faculties in tip-top shape. After all, our ability to accomplish a task, to discipline ourselves in committing to our goals, and to deal with everyday obstacles depends not only on our physical health, but also in our mental strength.
Keeping fit or going on diet might be one of the most popular New Year resolutions, one should also give the same importance in maintaining our mental performance and boost our brain power.
Proper diet
Like in anything related to our health and well-being, the food we consume can spell the difference in helping our bodies perform at its optimal or our minds and bodies becoming sluggish.
Common knowledge tells us that fruits and vegetables, lots of water, protein, and the like are good for us and keeps us healthy. But what most of us don’t know is that there are some food – brain food – that can fuel not only our bodies, but also help develop the brain and our memory.
Omega-3, in particular, is good for the brain and is found in fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines as well as in broccoli, spinach, pinto beans, walnuts, and soybeans. Antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, and green tea are said to enhance memory, alertness, and gets rid of substance that damages brain cells.
But of course, it is also what you don’t eat that helps in strengthening the brain and improving memory. Alcohol, if consumed often and in large amounts, kills brain cells, dulls cognition, and impairs responsiveness. Food high in saturated and trans fat likewise impairs brain function and memory.
Exercise
Physical activities, aside from keeping the body fit, keep the mind stay sharp. Exercise improves blood circulation in the body and brain. Activities that require hand-eye coordination and complex motor skills such as sports and high-intensity interval exercise keep the blood pumping and reduce the risk of diseases and disorders that are harmful to the mind and body.
Brain exercises
Who says brain teasers and crosswords are only for ice-breakers and children? A common false belief people have is that our brain, with regard to its growth and functions, peaks upon reaching adulthood.
By then, we would have already developed all the tricks and ways to process and recall information as quickly as possible. However, the human mind is not to be limited by this misconception. In fact, the brain continues to grow and develop – it all depends if it has the proper exercise it needs.
Our memory, like our bodies, requires that we continuously use it to avoid losing it. The more we choose to challenge ourselves with intellectually demanding activities that we have yet to master, we are tasked in facing something new and unfamiliar. We have to look for other ways of approaching the task at hand, and in the process, we learn and develop new skills. The best activities are those that require keen attention in order to stimulate the mind.
Sleep
Adequate amount of sleep and rest is as important as exercising, if not the most important of all the activities that keep our minds healthy. The rest we receive at the end of a long day is what refreshes the mind and the body in order for it to be able to function well at the start of another day. Lack of sleep can also negatively impact our ability to think clearly, leaving us groggy and slow to respond.
But most importantly, it is during sleep that our brain consolidates what it gathered throughout the day and commits them to memory. Having a regular sleep schedule is the key in maximizing the day without having to compromise on rest and relaxation.
Minimize stress
Realistically, it would be impossible to remove all stressors in our adult life with bills, family life, and work taking over. However, learning how to manage it by getting rid of unnecessary stress, helps in fighting damage of brain cells.
In times of high stress and pressure, we tend to bottle up on emotions, overwork ourselves, and leave ourselves exhausted and spent at the end of the day. By making small changes like taking breaks, setting some time for leisure, focusing on one tasking rather than multitasking, or making lists of errands, we save ourselves from the stress of forgetting and subsequently having to cram everything.