With so many distractions in today’s environment, concentration has become a difficult trait to master. The consistent intrusions of social media and the stressful work environments across the world have ironically made it both difficult and necessary to exercise our brains and increase our productivity and happiness quotient in general.
There is a myriad of interesting and fun ways we can give our brains the boost they need- from playing in the best escape rooms in Bangalore with your friends to engaging in a battle of wits online with your siblings over a quick game of checkers!
We have compiled a list of the easiest and most convenient ways you can give your brain the workout that it needs-
1. Chess
Chess is an incredible game for developing forethought, sportsmanship, and perseverance. It can help young children improve their cognitive abilities and gain a better understanding of mathematical ideas. Chess can also aid with cognitive skills, attention span, memory capacity, problem-solving, and logical thinking, as well as other benefits.
Chess has been proved by scientists to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, which is linked to memory loss. In chess, there are numerous tactics and plans, and it requires the players to be familiar with a lot of different tactics, openings, defense, and attacks, and gradually players develop an instinct to put these to good use. This is where better memory comes into play: players can swiftly recall and employ various techniques or tactics.
The biggest takeaway from this is that this effect isn’t restricted to chess; it can be seen in other aspects of life as well, such as academic success, duties, and commitments. There is a reason why chess is amongst the most popular board games across the world – chess has everything you need to strengthen your intellectual abilities. Chess.com is a fantastic website where you may play chess online for free and even learn some moves and openings. Hundreds of thousands of people play online on this website because of its fantastic features.
2. Sudoku
Sudoku is a logic-based number puzzle in which you must fill a 9×9 grid with numbers 1 through 9, each appearing only once in a row, column, or box. This classic game encourages critical thinking and improves concentration. Sudoku challenges you to think critically while also aiding concentration. It demands careful consideration and concentration. The players must consider they’ll place the numbers and if that placement will interfere with the numbers that have already been placed. You may improve your concentration on other things as you master to concentrate on winning the game.
Sudoku is a wonderful game for improving memory as well since it uses a series of numbers that must be arranged in specific locations. Clearing the game depends a lot on remembering the sequences and placing numbers accordingly. Many of the daily Sudoku puzzles applicable on the internet are timed, which is also helpful.
3. Rubik’s Cube
The Rubik’s Cube is the world’s best-selling and most well-known puzzle. This portable game is ideal for engaging the brain during downtime, with over 43 quintillion possible moves. Whether you’re solving the Rubik’s cube with algorithms and algorithms or figuring out how to piece it together yourself, it takes a lot of practice to solve the Rubik’s cube. This will aid in the improvement of your memory, particularly your muscle memory. It is extremely beneficial if you want to improve your muscle memory.
When you begin to understand and find out your own ways to solve the cube, it encourages you to be more creative in how you manage day-to-day work and improves your decision-making abilities. Solving a Rubik’s cube also needs a great deal of patience and perseverance. It’s a fantastic exercise to participate in for your brain’s overall growth.
4. Jigsaw Puzzles
Solving jigsaw puzzles is a fantastic pass time because they work both your left and right brains at the same time. The left sphere of your brain is logical and functions in a sequential manner, whereas your right brain is intuitive and creative. When you work on a jigsaw puzzle, both these sides are actively involved. You might even consider it a cerebral workout that will help you enhance your problem-solving abilities and attention span. These puzzles call for logic, intuition, and ingenuity, and it’s easy to spend multiple hours trying to piece them together.
Jigsaw puzzles have been shown in studies to increase cognitive function and visual-spatial reasoning. Piecing together these puzzles requires a lot of concentration and improves short-term memory and problem-solving abilities.
Using the puzzle as a mental workout might help you to develop your imagination and boost your creativity and productivity. While working on a puzzle alone is a terrific way to unwind and reset after a long day, doing it with someone else can help you take a break from technology and foster real-world connections.
5. Keep Your Brain Active with Physical Activity
While mental brain puzzles are beneficial to brain health, that does not imply you should never work up a sweat. Exercising is beneficial to both the mind and the body. It raises the heart rate, allowing more oxygen to reach the brain, thus promoting the release of hormones that help brain cells thrive in a healthy environment.
In several crucial cortical areas of the brain, exercise also improves neuronal plasticity by encouraging the creation of new connections between cells. Physical exercise increases the production of beneficial brain chemicals and even lowers stress hormones. As a result, a nice run or a decent workout session at the gym can make a major difference by generating new neural connections and enhancing growth hormones.
Aerobic exercise is especially beneficial to the brain since it relieves anxiety and stress. A simple walk in a park can work wonders and help clear your mind and put things into perspective. It makes a great difference to exercise first thing in the morning before starting the day.
It also works like a charm when it comes to burning calories and getting you stimulated for the day ahead. Physical activity can help you overcome mental weariness and even boost the size of your hippocampus, the portion of your brain that controls learning and language memory.
Brain exercises and games can be a great way to stimulate your brain and get sharper in your day-to-day tasks. But it is important to remember improving or maintaining cognition requires a lot of consistent and conscious effort. So, take up any of the activities mentioned above that you find the most interesting, and get going!
