4 Hobbies to Train Your Brain

The brain is just like any other muscle: use it or lose it. We don’t often think about brain health and upkeep, but maybe we ought to. How do we use our brain most of the day? Perhaps we spend most of the day with our attention focused on things that reward our brains for little effort. For example, I watch TikTok, YouTube, and television and scroll through social media. Not that any of those things are inherently wrong, but they supply our brain with zero-effort dopamine hits that make us feel good but aren’t doing our brain health any favors. So, we want to encourage you to find a hobby to help train your brain! These are four things you can do today to start taking better care of that cranium. Play a Musical Instrument According to research, playing a musical instrument provides numerous cognitive benefits. It is linked to better cognitive processes, memory, pattern recognition, and problem-solving abilities. Playing an instrument causes both sides of your brain to work in chorus together and improves memory greatly! You don’t even have to be good at it, all you have to do is play, and have fun doing it! Puzzles and Games The more we exercise and challenge our brain, the better it functions. Putting our brain to work tests it and strengthens it. Try out puzzles and games like crossword puzzles, chess, and strategy games. Puzzles help with strategy, problem-solving, and patience. Challenging games help us take in new information and increase grey matter in the brain. Meditation/Yoga Meditation and yoga aren't limited to hippies and monks. They have real, practical benefits and everyday applications. Meditation is associated with improved patience, focus, and emotional control. It also improves memory and decreases stress and anxiety. Read (literally) Anything Reading creates new neurological connections and pathways in the brain as we absorb new information. It improves memory and prior learning. It tests and increases focus and memory skills. Reading is a method of learning and the most effective technique for absorbing new information. Nowadays, there are several resources available for researching any topic of interest.