How to develop the brain for 30 days

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Brain health depends on our daily activities. And quite a bit to change their habits, and you will notice results. Highlight the next 30 days in order to bring them into your life and pump thinking. Entrepreneur and blogger Thomas Oppong (Thomas Oppong) I toldExactly how to do it.

1. brain Training

Engage in something new that requires mental effort: dancing, playing the piano, learning a new language. This increases the speed of information processing, strengthens the synapses of the brain extends the functionality of the network.

"When you learn something new and mind want to relax, then that he is growing," - says psychologist Jennifer Jones (Jennifer Jones). Mastering something, you create new connections in the brain. And more of them, the easier it will be memorize information in the future.

2. Get out of the comfort zone

When you are comfortable and you are satisfied with everything in the brain to release chemicals that cause a good mood. But in the long run it brings him comfort is not good.

It is the willingness to get out of your comfort zone supports brain young. Strive for new experiences, develop new skills and be open to new ideas.

Without mental work dendrites - processes of neurons that transmit information - are reduced or disappear altogether. Active life increases the dendritic network and regenerative ability of the brain, known as the plastic.

Coming out of the comfort zone, you "stretch" your brain and dendrites grow like a tree with many branches.

3. Train your concentration

To do this, start to meditate. According to studiesMindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter densityMeditation increases the number of gray matter areas of the brain responsible for focus and processing of external sensor signals.

You can literally expand your brain, and every day it will take less time than a lunch.

"Although meditation is associated with calmness and physical relaxation, its supporters have long argued that it gives cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day, "- said neuroscientist Sarah Leyzar (Sara Lazar).

4. Read every day

During the reading of the brain changesReading skill and structural brain development and develops. As you read these words, your brain decodes the abstract symbols and synthesizes the results in complex ideas. It's an amazing process.

Reading It involves many brain functions, including the processes of visual, auditory and phonemic perception and understanding. When we read about something, we activates the same neurons that when we are directly described.

According toWatch This. No. Read It! researchers, as opposed to viewing or listening to information, when reading the brain more time to ponder and process the data, and present the events described. Reading every day, you can slow down age-related cognitive decline and maintain brain health.

5. Keep a journal

Taking notes helps prioritize, to think clearly and concentrate on the important matters instead of term. More blog helpsEffects of Expressive Writing on Psychological and Physical Health easier to cope with stress and anxiety, and even increasesEffect of Written Emotional Expression on Immune Function in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection the activity of immune cells.

"Taking notes enhances the brain's ability to perceive, process, store and retrieve information - explains neurologist Judy Willis (Judy Willis). - It develops long-term memory, helps to observe the patterns of thinking, gives time for reflection. But with the right approach is a source of ideas and stimulates higher mental functions of the brain. "

6. Do not sit without movement

Whether you like it or not, physical activity significantly affects the brain and mood. According to the researchers, the movement improvesThe Effect of Movement on Cognitive Performance cognitive ability. So find an activity that you like and practice regularly.

Fairly simple aerobic exercise like walking. 30-45 minutes of brisk walking three times a week will helpExercise, Cognition and the Aging Brain protect against mental deterioration, improve episodic memory and executive function of the brain by about 20%.

7. Get enough sleep at night and take a break to sleep during the day

Sleep reduces the physical and psychological stress. In addition, while you sleep, the brain converts the new information.

A short afternoon nap recharges energy. Take a nap during the day - this is not a sign of laziness. scientifically provenBenefits of napping in healthy adultsThat after a nap density is improved, productivity and reaction rate. Enough sleep is just twenty minutes.

8. Learn to do nothing

Permanent employment only reduces productivity. And sometimes sit around - a good way to reconfigure the brain and pay attention to the present moment.

Spend time in silence, disconnect from the Internet and thoughts about work. It improves concentration and creative thinking. So plan your calendar time for doing nothing along with other tasks.

Silence at all good for the brain. During it, he actively acquires and evaluates information. According to neuroscientists two hours a day of silence provokedIs silence golden? Effects of auditory stimuli and their absence on adult hippocampal neurogenesis development of cells in the hippocampus - a brain region associated with memory formation.

see also

• 5 tips to help keep the brain young →
• 7 ways to cheat your brain and deal with negative thoughts →
• 7 strange things to which our brain is programmed →