As important as it is to have a healthy body, a lot of people overlook the fact that it is just as important to have a healthy mind as well. Now, I’m not talking about mental health in terms of depression, anxiety etc; but rather the importance of still challenging your brain to learn new things- even after you finish with school.
As you age, it is very easy to get into a rut of routine, and not seek out new experiences or knowledge, but continuing to challenge yourself to learn and change, means your brain remains active in its entirety.
An example of the importance of this, is the risk of Alzheimers has been greatly reduced in individuals who have learned/ are learning musical instruments, know multiple languages, and or practice crosswords/ and or Soduko.
The reason for this, is that these activities challenge all parts of the brain. With music it challenges your language, reaction time, fine motor-skills, and much more. It engages a mind and body that on a day to day basis; you probably aren’t using as much as you could.
Crosswords and Soduko challenge your problem solving, and force you to actually focus/ think about issues instead of having auopilot decisions.
You have to ask yourself, how much of your daily life are you performing without even thinking about it? A lot of us have jobs that don’t require 100% attention often, and as a result, a lot of our days slip by, and we don’t practice focusing or thinking for ourselves.
Learning and knowing multiple languages forces you to read and interpret in your mind, and gradually those pathways formed in your brain go through faster and faster, meaning you are again using problem solving and changing the patterns you are used to dealing with.
I myself have struggled with this aspect in the past, because like all of you, when I worked long hours I didn’t have the energy or desire to challenge myself, or to make myself think. At the time, my saving grace was that I was in multiple jobs that required me to problem solve. and be attentive to what I was doing.
Nowadays, I feel as though I am barely challenging my brain in healthy ways, but that is primarily due to me still working on balancing my work and private life- while also still finding a way to stay healthy in both my eating habits and my workout habits. However, I know that I want to continue to find new skills to learn, and am still trying to find activities or classes that subsidize that desire.
Remember, if you aren’t growing, you’re dying. Not to be too morbid, but just a motto that I have to remind myself at at times when I am being particularly complacent about my life and personal development.
Happy blogging everyone!
EmJackNik 