While we all know that maintaining our physical health is incredibly important, preserving our mental health as we age is just as important. Whether you’re younger or older, you can do many fun and engaging exercises and activities to keep your memory sharp and your brain active.

Learn a New Skill or Language

Taking up a new skill such as photography, sewing, or pottery or deciding to learn a new language are great ways to keep your brain active and improve your overall brain function. Adopting a new skill can encourage the brain to work in new ways and think harder while completing a cognitively stimulating activity. Learning another language through listening, writing, and speaking can help connect various areas of your brain. It has also been found that being bilingual lowers an individual’s risk of developing dementia.

Test Your Recall

If you make lists, whether for groceries or things you must do, try to remember what you wrote an hour after writing your list and see how much you remember. If you want greater mental stimulation, try making your lists as long and complicated as possible. You could also do this with conversations you have. When speaking to another person, try and listen closely to everything they say and then recall what they’ve said afterward. Rereading what you wrote or remembering what people have said are great ways to test your memory and keep your brain active.

Learn a Musical Instrument

Much like learning a new skill or language, taking up a new instrument is just as helpful in maintaining your memory and brain function. Learning a musical instrument is a complex activity. It will allow your brain to work in many ways by reading music and learning to physically play the instrument. This can help improve cognitive development in younger brains and maintain cognitive development and memory in older brains.

Play Puzzle Games

There are many games and activities that you may be doing in your day-to-day life that help maintain your memory and brain function. For example, playing games like checkers and chess, doing crossword or sudoku puzzles, and completing jigsaw puzzles are very helpful in keeping the brain active. Various board games and memory card games are beneficial, too, because they can help stimulate different areas of the brain and help decrease cognitive impairment in adults.

Exercise and Meditate

Keeping your body active through exercise helps keep the oxygen flowing through your brain to keep it functioning properly. Participating in sports also allows you to maintain other skills along with memory, such as planning, multitasking, and focused attention. It helps memory, cognition, and motor skills while keeping your body healthy. Meditation and relaxation can also help maintain a good memory. Allowing your brain to focus on information and thoughts for long durations will stimulate brain activity and help you navigate thoughts in a more controlled way.

Live Life to the Fullest

Growing older can come with many changes for both your brain and body. Allowing yourself to stay engaged in activities and finding a good environment that has everything you need to stay physically and mentally healthy is crucial.

Greenbrier Village allows seniors to live independently or assisted and provides opportunities to be involved and have fun through various activities and events. We want all our seniors to live life to the fullest, keep their minds active, and feel a sense of community.

Visit our website to learn more about our living options and amenities or call us today at 580-233-0121 for more information.

Sources

Senior Care in Enid, OK | Greenbrier Village

4 Brain Exercises to Improve Memory | NeuroGrow

10 Brain Exercises to Help Boost Memory | Everyday Health

Brain exercises: 22 ways to improve memory, cognition, and creativity (medicalnewstoday.com)