Teach an Old Dog New Tricks – Learning Prevents Mental Decline

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Preventing mental decline includes a variety of actions. From eating well to exercising regularly, the more you care for your entire body, the more you help your mind. What you eat fuels your body and how you move gets your blood circulating and sends oxygen to your vital organs- including your brain. While eating right and moving matter, so does working your brain.

We’ve all heard the term ‘use it or lose it’ and felt compelled to take action. Whatever becomes dormant is at risk for atrophy or wasting away. It’s the same with our minds. Preventing mental decline includes stimulating your brain and challenging it in new ways.

Always Keep Learning

One of the key ways to prevent mental decline is learning something new. Doing something that requires your brain to work harder and gives it a challenge. Doing what you’ve always done is like using the same muscle over and over again. It has muscle memory, so it doesn’t take much effort to use it. It’s the same with your brain. Learning something new that makes your brain work harder and grow is important. Challenging your mind to absorb new information or solve problems is good for its health.

Teaching an old dog a new trick is a perfect way to keep your brain healthy and avoid or slow down mental decline. Some great activities include:

Games

There are an array of games that help prevent mental decline. Games that are social, including card games, board games, and innovative problem-solving games, add to the benefit because they are done with other people. Individual games like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and Mahjong can be done anywhere. Even video games can help keep your mind strong and growing.

Cognitive Activities

Activities like reading, writing, and using critical thinking skills can help prevent or slow down mental decline. Taking tests or learning new material and teaching what you’ve learned can help the mind grow and develop.

Puzzles

Whether it’s putting together a puzzle at a table or assembling a piece of furniture, working puzzles helps the mind. Using the mind to decipher spatial awareness or discerning how things work together is stimulating and can help keep the mind challenged.

Eating well, getting plenty of exercise and stretching the mind all work together for your mental health. Preventing mental decline or slowing down the process can be done effectively by stimulating the brain to learn new concepts, tricks, and activities. Challenge yourself to learn a new trick and you’ll benefit in more ways than one.