Monotony the ineffable feeling that makes life appear dreary. We all have felt it and not just in our work life, but it circumscribes everything. The cause behind – boring routines. No, don’t get me wrong, I know routines are good and necessary, but it never hurts to shake things up occasionally. Doing something different or differently can yield better results.
This is apt for the brain, is certitude. Our brain is the vital organ, the director of our life. And yet we take it for granted. When you think of being healthy and concentrate on nourishment and exercises, all of it is planned to keep the body in mind. The brain is left behind the curtain to orchestrate the plan. Therefore, we thought to bring the brain center-stage today. When it comes down to our humble brain, then after a few attempts our brain forms routines putting things to order making our life easier and effectually reducing its workload. But just like the body needs change to stay healthy, so does brain. And that’s where neurobics come to play.
Neurobics is a term coined by Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin, rhyming it with aerobics. This is the art of shuffling things up, changing your routines or habits for a period to shock the brain up and keep it healthy. For example, most people use their right hand for writing, but if they were to decide to use their left hand for writing for a day or few hours maybe, they’ll be performing neurobics, activating the otherwise unused right cortex of the brain.
Guess what, when we start doing a task regularly, our brain maps out the associated senses, nerves, and body coordination movements, which later become monotonous for the brain. But when we introduce a change then the brain has no choice but to participate actively, getting engaged and exercised in the process. Exercising your brain this way reaps many benefits like:
- Better memory
- Improved problem solving
- Sharper understanding
- Better concentration
- Faster thinking and hence quicker response
- Helps manage stress
- Promotes positive thinking, as you stop relying on one method and apply more senses to your rescue
Here are a few neurobics for you to get started:
- Use your non-dominant hand for writing from time to time
- Take another route to work or home or any other place you visit frequently
- Try walking around your home with closed eyes
- Is it the coffee or tea fragrance that wakes you up? Time to wake up your olfactory by waking up to a different aroma, try vanilla orange, raspberry, anything actually
- Rearrange your work desk or kitchen shelf. So, you look for things rather than just turning absentmindedly on the safe place
- Listen to different sounds and try to place them. Like recognizing various instruments in a song.
- Try to identify coins in your wallet with eyes closed. Engage your touch senses by checking the designs and texture. You can even try this with your wardrobe or for selecting shoes.
- Open your house lock or desk drawer with closed eyes
- Learn a new language
- Try talking to your family without words, only using your body for cues.
These are a few for you to try, you can also make a few of your own. To sum it up I would just like to say that one should on occasions enjoy Director’s cut as well as opposed to regular screening.
Go spice up your brain!