Keeping your body healthy is important, but we often forget about the mind. They say that keeping our brain in shape will make us age slowly, or never really age at all.
Having a quick and healthy mind is just as important as eating your daily dose of vegetables, and luckily for us there are many little daily exercises to improve it. You will feel sharper in no time!
Keep a morning diary – this is one trick my parents taught me when I was a kid. Writing a page of a diary every morning within the first hour after waking up makes thoughts flow freely and helps you get things off your chest. You don’t have to write something in particular, just let the hand write whatever comes to your mind.
Read, read, read! – I have a very particular relationship with my books. I love reading, but I always have to force myself on a new book; I remember of how much I like reading after every first page of every first book, but I have to get myself there. Nevertheless, every time I finish a book I feel richer, my English improves and I find out many new words and expressions. I also talk better. And I am pretty sure I am not the first person telling you how important reading is.
Keep negativity out – Sometimes, a unhealthy mind is a mind full of negative thoughts. Stress, doubts and bad mood can be some bundle, but some very easy tricks can help clean the mess up. For how weird it may sound, doing the dishes helps a lot. I can personally confirm that; washing dirty dishes can ease a tormented mind just for the evocative act which is cleaning something dirty.
Learn a language – Which better exercise if not learning a new language? It’s like a master exercise for your brain, including a major effort for your mind to communicate in other ways than the ones it’s used to. Furthermore, learning one language will make it easier to learn new ones, and your memory will have a noticeable boost. It’s a win-win.
Do specific exercises – If you like a challenge, you can find many different exercises to focus on one part of the brain at a time. Apart from crosswords and sudoku, very useful tools, the internet is full of portals that want you healthy in the head! Try brain teasers like Lumosity or Braingle.
Mens sana in corpore sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body, is my favorite motto. Fighting stress and unhealthy habits is always the first step to reach this state, and I am happy as always to share my tips with you. Now, if you don’t mind, my sudoku is waiting for me!