I speak a lot about physical fitness and proper eating, but there is another key component to healthy living and it is mental fitness. I’m not referring to intelligence here, but rather how a healthy mind can actually increase your emotional well-being, help you better deal with stress and actually increase neural activities which will help you concentrate for longer. After all, extra concentration could prove vital in those marathon gaming sessions.
Much like our regular muscles, the brain is also a muscle, which means it can be worked out and developed just like any other muscle. While you might find it a little difficult to flex your brain inside your skull, there are still a variety of things you can do to further develop and improve your mental dexterity.
Exercise for 30 minutes every day
Huh, got you suckers – you still can’t escape physical training. Physical exercise and mental fitness go hand in hand as Physical exercise delivers oxygen to the brain and so if you want to get those neurons firing, you need to hit those workouts. This can help to improve your memory, reasoning abilities and reaction times – all important if you want to become a better gamer.
Read often and read widely
Those school teachers weren’t lying after all. Reading a book really is better than watching a movie. Reading is one of the best ways to exercise your brain and improve your mental fitness. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction or even the news, make sure that you get your brain reading as much as possible.
Boost your levels of vitamin B
Vitamin B is essential to brain health and so you want stock up on it as much as possible. The best ways to do this are to eat plenty of wholegrain cereals, leafy greens and dairy foods.
Challenge your intellect and memory – with others
Stretch yourself mentally by learning a new language, doing mental puzzles like Sudoku, crosswords or playing strategic board games like chess. However, while these exercises can be done well in isolation, to really stretch your brain, try and involve others in them. This will help you develop both your mental intelligence and your capacity to understand the thought processes of other people, which is actually healthier for the brain, even if it is infuriating for the stress levels. Not only is this important for brain health, but it actually develops your social skills so that you can treat your imaginary friends better.
Take time to relax
Excess stress hormones like cortisol can be harmful to the brain so plan regular periods of relaxation into your week. Considering how lazy we are, I don’t think we should struggle to find the time to kick up our feet and just laze about on the couch watching Netflix or playing games.
Take up a new hobby
Learning something new gives the ‘grey matter’ a workout and builds neural pathways in the brain. So every now and again try and explore new things, whether it be taking up painting, woodwork, gardening or building better cosplay outfits. New skills challenge your brain in different ways and keep it healthy. Additionally, these craft exercises often require you to move both sides of your body at the same time which further develops your brain and improves your spatial awareness and reaction times.
Try New Things
In fact, trying new things in general is healthy for the mind. This can include eating new foods, visiting new places or perhaps just trying to do your usual routines in different ways to give your brain a certain boost.
Actively manage your health
Conditions such as diabetes or heart disease can affect mental performance if not diagnosed and treated. Have regular check-ups with your doctor to prevent future problems.
Engage in stimulating conversations
I know this is going to be a tough one for many of you thanks to today’s isolated world, but take comfort that it doesn’t need to be face to face all the time. Conversation over the internet, when you aren’t insulting each other’s mothers, will also work. Don’t just stick to what you know, but talk to people about a wide range of topics. This gives your brain an opportunity to explore, examine and enquire in ways it perhaps normally doesn’t. Our Friday debates are often the best place to do this, provided you actually try and give another opinion the consideration it deserves.
Hopefully, if you start working on these above steps, you may find yourself not only in an improved state of mind, but hopefully more able to deal with things in your work place or at home too. Our brains are the most important muscle in our body and we want to make sure it stays as sharp and fit as possible.
Last Updated: October 5, 2018