4 ways to sharpen your most important tool

​The Brain. It’s our most important and yet least understood organ. We rely on it every day. Not just for keeping us alive, but for simple tasks like making us coffee, dressing ourselves, and driving to work.
 
In fact, there are very few actions one can take that do not involve the brain in some vital role. Now I know what you’re thinking, “isn’t any organ vital? What about the heart?” The answer is yes—but the brain is unique in a special way. It’s the only organ that we decide how and when we use it. It is the only organ that we have control over. You don’t tell your heart when to beat, or how hard. You don’t ask your liver to speed things up, so you can have that extra glass of wine. So, with the brain being the only organ that we consciously use, that is why brain health is so important.
 
Here are four ways to nurture your noggin:
 

1. Exercise: Yes, we all know, workout = good, couch = bad. But why exactly is exercise so good for our brain? First of all, the increase in blood flow helps keep our arteries and veins strong, decreasing the likelihood of a stroke. The mental challenge and rigor of a good workout help establish and strengthen neural pathways, allowing for better coordination, muscle memory, and alerting us to any issues in the body that you may have otherwise missed. Also, it takes mental strength to overcome a challenging obstacle, like finishing a marathon, climbing a mountain, or sometimes the hardest of all, actually making it to the gym.

 

1. Get into gaming: We live in a very left brain dominated world. The left side of the brain likes things organized. It’s happy when all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. In our society, it’s very easy to find activities that help the left side of our brains, and most of us may be doing them without even noticing. Every time you do a crossword puzzle, solve a mathematical problem (did the cashier give you the right change?), or even play an evening of poker, these are all left-brain activities. The left side of our brain likes to take things apart and analyze them. We exercise the left when we do our taxes, make a grocery list, and do our banking. In today’s day and age, you can’t get by without exercising the left brain. In fact, most of us don’t just exercise it, we stress it right out. But what about the right side of the brain? What’s it responsible for and how can we exercise it?

 

1. Connect with creativity: While it’s very important to keep our left brains sharp, we do tend to neglect the right brain in our society. At least to the point where we just don’t take it as seriously. Unlike the left side of the brain, which likes to take things apart, use logic and keep things organized and civil, the right side of the brain loves to create. It loves to imagine. It loves to sing, to dance, to write and play, to draw, sketch and journal away. OK, that’s enough rhyming. But seriously, a healthy brain means involved the right side which involves creativity, unpredictability, and in many ways vibrancy. Listening to music, drawing a picture, day dreaming. These are countless ways to explore your creative side, and it’s all excellent for your brain.

 

1. Meditate: Last but certainly not least, is the ancient practice of meditation. Now before you roll your eyes while mumbling “thanks captain obvious” let me dig a little bit deeper. For some of us, the word “meditation” evokes a vision of a yogi in a pretzel position and we think, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” I’ve heard a lot of people say they can’t meditate because they can’t shut off their brain. To them I say meditation can present itself in many ways. Every time a painter paints, an author writes, or a dancer dances, they are meditating. Even when doing a menial task, like washing dishes or vacuuming that can be a form of meditation. The way I look at it, we are meditating when we assign our brains to a task while freeing ourselves of the burden of our thoughts. We are completely present at what we’re doing. The best advice I have ever received about meditation was from my brother. He told me, “It’s not about trying to stop your mind, or shut it off, that’s impossible. Rather, allow yourself not to be led by your thoughts, do not feed them.” Meditation is exercise for your brain. Meditation can bring peace to the mind and heart. It gives a buffer zone between your frantic brain and your calm body. It allows the body to destress, brings clarity to your thoughts, so that joy and wisdom can emerge.

 
These simple but imperative methods will help keep your brain working smoothly. I recommend focusing on one or two of these methods to start. Even a little effort can go a long way to helping us have more than just a hat rack sitting on our shoulders.