Explore the Wellness Wheel: Intellectual

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Just like exercising our bodies to stay physical fit, our brains can benefit from activities that challenge us to think differently!

Our brains work the same way as our muscles in that way: "use it or lose it!"

Why is it important to Train Your Brain?

Staying mentally fit can help us
  • respond more gracefully in unexpected situations
  • increase our confidence
  • improve relationships with others
  • sharpen our memory
  • and remain cognitively astute as we age.

What does it mean to be a lifelong learner? 
  • Opening yourself up to new ideas
  • Seeing both sides of an argument
  • Thinking critically about new information. 
  • Expressing your creativity

Level 1 Brain Exercises 
  1. Read a book
  2. Watch a documentary
  3. Listen to a podcast 
  4. Keep a journal 
  5. Finish a jigsaw puzzle
  6. Do a crossword, Sudoku, or other favorite puzzle (Calling all fans of Wordle?)
  7. Solve a Rubik's cube or play chess
  8. Practice a skill that you used to love but haven't made time for recently (art, music, dance, foreign language)
  9. Visit a museum
  10. Attend a performance of music or theater

Level 2 Brain Exercises
  1. Read a different type of book
    • Usually read fiction? Try a nonfiction book or memoir! 
    • Usually read nonfiction? Pick up a novel!
    • Read both? Choose a book really NOT your usual style (fantasy? mystery? history?)
    • Try an audiobook 

  2. Debate a friend on an issue close to your heart- but represent the opposite side!

  3. Write a journal entry as if you were someone else. A friend, neighbor, family member, someone in a news story you saw, someone you disagree with...

  4. Attend a performance of something you've never seen. International dance? African drumming? A comedy show? A musical? Cirque du solei? 

  5. Make a new friend who is very different from you

  6. Start learning a new skill. Take classes for a foreign language, new instrument, new style of dance, or a  different type of art

  7. Run for office


How do you challenge your brain to think in ways it hasn't before?
Tell us in the comments.


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