Seeing our bodies getting worse as we get older can very often be both painful and even depressing. Eventually, we can find ourselves becoming less agile, slower in our appearance.
But far worse than this, is watching our brain start to fail. It contains the essence of who we are. It gives rise to our experiences… and starting to see this deteriorating is scary indeed.
So just what can be done to protect your brain well into old age? Here are some tips and suggestions that can help…
Never stop learning.
Your brain needs stimulus and intrigue to work properly. By actively learning and getting new experiences you help to stop or at least slowdown ageing. Our brains are overloaded with constant barrages of information and are built to throw away as much as possible. However, by learning and practising recalling your experiences, your brain will work better. Performing the exact same things day in, day out, encourages your brain to reduce its ability to learn and adapt as it did when you were younger.
Many people get stuck in a rut doing the same things again and again not subjecting themselves to new experiences. Partly this is due to simple societal pressures: as we age, we tend to become less active overall, less social and miss out on opportunities for learning.
The real key is to keep trying new things. Many people say that playing chess is a good way to keep your brain healthy but in fact, this isn’t necessarily the best option: playing chess is just one activity and involves relatively little learning.
How about, trying playing computer games. Each time you try a new computer game, you must pick up new skills and adapt to new scenarios. Each time you learn a new computer game, you use the controls differently, which helps build new neural pathways in your brain. A new game has a new set of skills and that means you are continually learning and adapting to change.
Stay Social
Our brains really benefit from socialising. This is important, as this stimulation releases positive hormones and keeping your brain active and challenged. Getting older, we often start to keep ourselves locked away and COVID has not exactly helped. This means less interaction and more potential deterioration. This is something to avoid.
