When we are aligned cognitively, we can think better. We can protect our ability to think well, along with help those who are beginning to experience memory loss can improve thinking skills. When memory loss begins, the brain decides to keep the longer lasting memories over those that are recently created.  The brain attempts to cope with the lifetime of insults including from the air, water, pollution, additives to our food and sugar.

How to manage these onslaughts?  Making clear choices now to improve lifestyle may help to improve the brain’s ability to think by better supporting the brain through improving these areas: 

• Sleep, 
• Stress, 
• Move more
• What we eat and drink
• Brain stimulation
• Socialization

Watching or listening to TV and videos puts the brain on auto-pilot.  The brain is entertained, and yet limited in stimulation.  How can we change our patterns of behavior to include more activities to encourage brain growth?  Yes, we can increase the size of the hippocampus, the brain’s center for memory. 

Supporting the brain, assuring exercise, including treating the brain well.  Activities to stimulate thinking, allowing the brain a chance to stretch itself, explore, roam the expanse of activities that are possible to improve thinking and thought processes.  

These include challenging the brain.  How can we challenge the brain the right amount, not too little or too much?  Discover a personalized program that is not too easy, but not so challenging that you don’t want to do it.  

Learning New Information 

Create opportunities to learn new information including:

• Take a course online. 
• Fix or solve a problem
• Play a new game or puzzle
• Read a news article and talk about it in conversation
• Listen to a podcast in about which you know nothing

It is also helpful in improving attention to improve the brain’s ability to focus.  Improving attention also increases the ability to remember.  

Attention

Attention allows the desire to continue following a conversation, asking appropriate questions, and listening.  The lack of attention is the sense of feeling bored, tired, and not wanting to complete an activity.  Has this happened to you?  Do you desire to leave the activity soon after it’s begun, no longer holding your interest?  Do you feel bored, tired easily when your brain is challenged?

This decreased in brain’s ability to focus on activity, when attempting to complete a puzzle, figuring out a new activity.  Giving up, stating, “it doesn’t work,” “I don’t want to,” as well as sense of irritability is common when the brain cannot focus well.

Brain activity and health come from using the brain in new ways.  When we can support our brains we may improve the ability to remember new information.  Scaffolding is using supports to assist in remembering the steps to complete a new task.  

Next time

Next time, we’ll talk about scaffolding as well as ways to support your brain’s ability to focus and find practical ways to improve the health of your brain!

Until then, learn something new!  Start at your level.  If you almost enjoy it, this is a good level for you!