Ghostwritermummy

Many people think that memory loss and other brain associated problems as one grows old is inevitable. However, the good news is that it is possible to keep your mind sharp at your final stages in life. To do this, you need to start as early as possible to exercise your mind. People think that when aging gracefully is mentioned, it only concerns body or physical appearance. Having a well-functioning brain contributes to graceful aging.

Just as physical exercise strengthens the body muscles, brain exercise is crucial to maintain good mental health because it strengthens the brain, which facilitates the boosting of memory function and the development of better thinking skills. The brain is the most important muscle in the whole body, and hence its wellbeing is of importance. It is not late to start mental exercises, although the earlier you start, the better.

Mind activities aimed at achieving excellent mental health should be variable to target different dimensions for all-round wellbeing of the brain. It works like the way physical exercise does. They are various ways to achieve physical flexibility and strength. Many mental exercises will not, however, live up to their hype, and hence when deciding on which to get involved in, you require an appropriate insight. Below are proven ways to keep your brain sharp from any age;

Learning a New Language

Learning a new language is known to enhance the functioning of your brain. It makes your memory strong since your brain is kept active. Brain cells are made active, and communication between them is stimulated. Not only is it a great brain workout, it’s one of the most beneficial things you can do for your future. For example, you can use language apps like Babbel for example and choose to learn Spanish, or any of the other languages offered. Some of the benefits of learning a language like Spanish are that it will enable you to learn French and Italian easier thanks to them all being romance languages (oh la la) and you can learn them easier! 

Read Lots of Intellectual Books

Reading lots of books helps to stimulate the mind because the mind is kept active. It helps to prevent mental problems such as dementia hence preventing your mind from losing power. It also helps with stress reduction. Reading fills up your head with knowledge and helps you know how to tackle different situations.

Engage in Meditation

Frequent meditation is known to improve your mental health status. It helps reduce anxiety, stress, rumination, and anger. It helps to clear off your mind hence beneficial to your psychological health. It helps to keep the brain more focused on specific issues making you more alert on issues daily.

Play Chess

Chess requires a lot of mental activity. It requires one to be attentive to know each move of the opponent. Playing chess helps to keep the mind engaged, making it sharper and focused. Chess exercises both sides of your brain and helps increase your IQ. It also improves concentration levels, boosts brain signals, and improves your memory.

Learn How to Play Music Instruments

Playing an instrument makes you smart. Learning how to play an instrument helps to relieve stress. It lowers the heart rate and blood pressure. It also has some psychological benefits, such as reducing stress hormones. It helps build your self-confidence and improves your self-esteem. It keeps your mind off several stress factors that may have adverse effects on the brain.

Limit the Use of Technology 

Advancement in technology has made the human brain perform fewer functions. Technology has taken up most brain functions through artificial intelligence. Technology has made the human brain slow down. To keep your mind active, avoid using technology to solve some of the issues in day to day life. Try engaging your brain when performing certain activities or even better, living in the moment! Technology is a great thing, but sometimes we need to get our heads out of our computers or TV’s and look around at the beautiful colors in the real world. 

Everybody wants happy twilight years and graceful aging. Being able to keep a sound mind through good mental health is the best way to achieve this. Now is the best time to start the above brain-boosting activity for a strong and healthy mind

One of the worst things about being in lockdown is not being able to visit or socialise with friends and family. It is nice to video chat, but it’s not the same as being with them. It feels awful to speak to someone and see the sadness in their eyes without being able to reach out and hug them. 

But that does not mean that you can’t lift their spirits. If you feel comfortable doing so, sending them a small but thoughtful gift is an excellent way to let them know you are thinking of them. It does not have to be a big thing. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Products you know your friend enjoys using

If your friend enjoys vaping you just have to click the link to be able to buy them some of the best e liquids on the market. The UK firm who makes them have been in business for a while, so they offer a really big range of products, making it easy for you to pick one that your friend is likely to enjoy.

On a similar theme, you could send them a bottle of their favourite beauty product. If your friend has a bath you can’t really go wrong with something they can use to have a nice soak and relax.

Buy them access to an online class

At the moment, many of the online learning platforms are running special offers. So, now is a particularly good time to buy someone the gift of a course. For example, if you both like to cook, Masterclass could be a good platform to look at. They offer several cooking classes as part of their all-access pass deal. So, if you both want to learn from the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Dominique Ansell, and Massimo Bottura, you can. If you act fast and use their special offer package you can get access for half-price.

Access to a streaming service

Being able to sit down and binge-watch a box set is a great way to take your mind off of the stresses and strains of life. So, if your friend has not already got access to a streaming service, why not consider buying them a pass for a month or two.  This article does a good job of comparing most of the best ones. It includes pricing details and an explanation of the various available features.

An activity pack style gift

Gifts that offer someone the chance to do something different are a good idea. There are all kinds of options available. Craft kits are one example. 

Toys adults can enjoy with their kids

Another option is to send them a toy, like the ones suggested here. They are all designed to provide fun for kids and adults alike. Some of the suggestions are crazy expensive, but there are also some decent ones at the lower end of the price scale.

We’re still in isolation. We haven’t been inside a car or turned left out of our driveway or touched another person outside of our household since Wednesday 18th March. We haven’t stepped inside a shop or checked a book out from the library or visited a museum. We haven’t dipped a toe into a swimming pool, tapped a tap shoe on a gleaming wooden floor or splashed a welly boot into the big puddle at the end of the lane near school. We haven’t huddled on the playground or dashed from class to class or lugged heavy shopping bags from trolley to car. We haven’t strayed from the rules even though they’re weighing us down daily, crushing slowly, smothering gently. We’re still in isolation and I think this might be the new normal for us all.

The children have been by my side since the day they were sent home from school with a cough that turned out to be nothing, turned out to be a few nights of watchful wakefulness incase symptoms developed and this ‘thing’ claimed us too. We’ve been together in isolation and hiding away from an invisible dragon breathing fire down our necks, into our bellies and through our dreams. We’re nearing the end of seven weeks like this. Seven weeks! And still, isolation stretches on like a promise sealed in gold. Other countries around the world are lifting their lockdowns and retreating back again, while we hesitate, unsure, unwilling to make a decision we cannot return from. This dragon is not going anywhere, for now.

So, for us, isolation is a picture of repetition. A new routine that sees us wake unenthusiastically kind-of-ready for the day but not really sure it’s worth it. But we stick to it- because without this routine I’ve become so fiercely protective of, we all fall apart. We drift. We feel we have no purpose or no there is no point to even the smallest of actions. We feel that isolation is breaking us.

Isolation, for us, is a safety blanket wrapped around our shoulders on the coldest day. The warmth of the sun as is peeps from behind the clouds. The feeling of new bed sheets when you’re so tired you can barely feel the pillows as you drift away. We’re holding on to isolation.

So despite the early morning starts to fit paid work in before home school, despite the constant obsessing over the best way to deliver a homestyle lesson on forces and magnets, despite the battle over who is going to put their lunch things in the dishwasher, give me the chance to use the bathroom in peace, put their shoes away, FINALLY learn how to turn lights out- despite the new normal, every day battles we’re all facing… despite all of that, isolation is working for us. We’re safe. We’re well. We’re slaying that dragon in our own small way.