How to develop your brain in 30 days

1. Exercise your brain

Do something new that requires mental effort: dancing, playing the piano, learning a new language. This increases the speed of information processing, strengthens synapses, and expands the functional networks of the brain.

“When you’re learning something new and your brain wants to rest, then it grows,” says psychologist Jennifer Jones. As you master something, you create new connections in the brain. And the more there are, the easier it will be to remember information in the future.

2. Get out of your comfort zone

When you are comfortable and happy with everything, chemicals are released in the brain that induce a good mood. But in the long run, comfort isn't good for him.

It is the willingness to step out of the comfort zone that keeps the brain young. Strive for new experiences, develop new skills, and be open to new ideas.

Without mental work, dendrites - the processes of neurons that conduct nerve impulses to the body of the neuron - contract or completely disappear. Active life increases the dendritic networks and the regenerative capacity of the brain, known as.

When you leave your comfort zone, you "stretch" your brain, and dendrites grow like trees with many branches.

3. Train your concentration

To do this, start meditating. Studies have shown that meditation increases the amount of gray matter in the areas of the brain responsible for attention and processing external sensory signals.

You can literally expand your brain, and every day it takes less time than lunch.

"Although meditation is associated with calmness and physical relaxation, its advocates have long argued that it provides cognitive and psychological benefits that last throughout the day," says neuroscientist Sara Lazar.

4. Read every day

As you read, your brain changes and develops. As you read these words, your brain deciphers abstract symbols and synthesizes the results into complex ideas. This is an amazing process.

Reading involves many brain functions, including the processes of visual, auditory and phonemic perception, understanding. When we read about something, we activate the same neurons as when we directly experience what we are describing.

Unlike viewing or listening to information, the researchers said, when reading, the brain has more time to think over and process the data, as well as present the events being described. Reading every day can help slow age-related cognitive decline and support brain health.

5. Keep a diary

Taking notes can help you prioritize, think clearly, and focus on important things instead of urgent ones. The diary also helps you cope with stressful situations and anxiety more easily and even increases the activity of immune cells.

“Taking notes improves the brain's ability to perceive, process, store and retrieve information,” explains neurologist Judy Willis. - It develops long-term memory, helps to notice patterns of thinking, gives time for reflection. And with the right approach, it becomes a source of development of concepts and stimulates the higher mental functions of the brain."

6. Don't sit still

Whether you like it or not, physical activity significantly affects the brain and mood. According to researchers, movement improves cognitive ability. So find an activity you like and do it regularly.

Enough simple aerobic exercise like. Walking 30-45 minutes at a brisk pace three times a week will help protect against mental wear and tear, and improve episodic memory and executive brain function by about 20%.

7. Get enough sleep at night and take a nap during the day

Sleep reduces physical and psychological stress. In addition, while you sleep, the brain is converting new information.

A short afternoon nap recharges you with energy. Taking a nap during the day is not a sign of laziness. It has been scientifically proven to improve concentration, productivity and reaction speed after a nap. It is enough to sleep only twenty minutes.

8. Learn to do nothing

Constant employment only reduces productivity. And sometimes sitting idle is a good way to rewire your brain and pay attention to the present moment.

Spend time in silence, disconnected from the Internet and thinking about work. It improves concentration and creative thinking. So plan on your calendar along with your other tasks.

Silence is generally good for the brain. During it, he actively assimilates and evaluates information. According to neuroscientists, two hours of silence a day provoke the development of cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with the formation of memory.