8 Activities to Boost Your Memory, Cognition, and Creativity

Brain is the most complex organ of our body. It regulates every voluntary and involuntary activity of the body. But, most of us tend to care the least for our brain health. Just like any part of our body, the brain needs to be cared for. In this write-up, we will be providing an extensive list of activities that can boost the memory, cognition, and creativity of your brain. These activities are helpful for people of any age.

1. Meditation

The importance of meditation for overall brain health can never be an overstatement. Numerous researches have proved over and over again that meditation is beneficial for brain health. It enhances the focus and problem-solving skills of the brain. It even slows down brain aging tremendously. People who meditate regularly stay away from mental health conditions like stress and depression.

You must have tried incorporating meditation into your daily routine at one or another point of time in your life. Most people get confused over the right way of doing meditation. There are a whole lot of ways of doing meditation but the best thing to do, especially when you are starting, is to keep it simple. You just need to sit still and try to keep your mind as calm as possible. Focusing on a single object like a candle or a leaf or dot on a blank wall too is a good way to start meditation. You can start by doing meditation just for five minutes; the main focus should be on maintaining consistency.

2. Visualization or Day Dreaming

In our childhood, most of us were told not to daydream. But, scientists have now proved that visualization or daydreaming is good stimulation for the brain that can keep it healthier. Visualization is said to be helpful even for solving complex problems of life. You just need to try to visualize things as vividly as you can. The practice of visualization can be started at a small level by visualizing things you are actually going to do.

For example, before going to your office you can visualize how you will commute to your office, whom you will greet after reaching the office, etc. Keeping the visualization positive is also important. Instead of visualizing how you can get into a fight with a fellow commuter, you should visualize how you’ll meet some amazing strangers on your way. Instead of visualizing an angry boss or a nagging co-worker, you should visualize a happy and cooperative work environment. Visualization can surprisingly improve your mood too.

3. Multi-Player Games

A 2017 study found a strong link between multi-player games and decreased risk of cognitive impairments in older adults. Multi-player games are a fun way of creating a social bond that is directly linked to better mental health. People who have an active social life are less prone to loneliness, stress, or depression. Social life boosts the cognition, creativity as well as memory of a person.

Traditional mind games like chess and checkers can have dual benefits as they are brain-stimulating games that also help you build social connections.

4. Solo Games like Memory Card, Sudoku, and Crossword Puzzles

There are many solo games designed specifically to improve one’s cognitive abilities and memory. A memory card game for example improves short-term memory and the ability to recall information faster. Crossword puzzles are known to stimulate the brain. A 2011 study on people with pre-clinical dementia exhibited that crossword puzzles may delay the onset of memory loss. Similarly, Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles too are good for improving the overall cognitive abilities of our brain.

You can include any one or a combination of a few of these solo games in your routine. Spending a few minutes on these games daily will have positive effects on your overall brain health.

5. Learning New Skills

Learning new skills enhances brain functionality. The advice is specifically given to older adults because it is at an older age that people stop learning new things. Children and younger adults keep learning new skills in one way or the other. You don’t need to master a particular thing but it is always advisable to keep learning new things. In today’s time, it is so easy to learn a new skill. Various platforms are providing free materials for learning different skills. Regularly following informative websites like WeCapable is a good idea too; you get to know a lot of new information.

6. Engaging in a Hobby

A hobby is something we love to do even when we are not paid for it in any form. Engaging yourself in a hobby does not only keep your brain stimulated but also enhances the flow of happy hormones in your body. Oxytocin, endorphin, dopamine, and serotonin, the famously called happy hormones, are good for brain health. So, you should take up an engaging hobby if you already don’t have one and dedicate some portion of your time to it.

7. Physical Activities

A sedentary life does not only hurt your physical health but is bad for your mental health as well. So, to keep your brain healthy you need to get involved in physical activities like exercise, running, jogging, dancing, or even yoga. Physical activities that increase heart rate and absorb oxygen in the body are beneficial for your brain and its cognitive abilities.

8. Proper Sleep

Undisturbed sleep for 6-8 hours helps the brain and body to do their maintenance work. A person with significantly good mental abilities too can become dull if they do not get proper sleep. An undisturbed sleep at night is one of the most essential things for boosting memory, cognitive ability, and concentration. Researches have even shown that quick naps at regular intervals too can help to make the brain sharper and creative.

Some activities like sleeping, exercising, and meditating need to be an essential part of everybody’s daily routine. You may choose any other activities as per your liking. But, you should try to pick as many activities as you can and include them in your daily, weekly, or monthly routines. Our brain has the tendency to get bored very easily so you’ll need to keep changing your activities to keep your brain engaged and active. This will help you boost the memory, cognition, and creativity of your brain.