Exercises for training the mind and developing memory

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In childhood, our memory works wonderfully. It is very easy to learn poems and memorize school material. Over time, the amount of information increases significantly, and stress and stress contribute to the deterioration of the quality of memory and thought processes.

Brain training

The mind can be trained in various ways: learn poems, read books, solve crossword puzzles and much more. Recent studies have shown that the most effective methods of brain development are simple exercises aimed at attention, logic, thinking and memory.

Such ways have a game form, respectively, give us pleasure. And this means that we have a desire to repeat the action again.

The head must work

Our brain resembles muscles, that is, if it is not given the required amount of work every day, it becomes lazy and ceases to recognize the “think!” command. Scientists describe this process as follows: new synapses are formed between neurons, the cortex thickens and becomes more sinuous, then ingrowth occursnew capillaries, axons increase the speed of nerve signals, and the functional connections between individual brain structures become more complicated.

However, the brain is not as simple in structure as the muscles. When performing the same type of tasks every day, sooner or later he will get bored, and then mark the routine as an unnecessary activity. Therefore, it is important to deceive him by performing special exercises in a timely manner.

Training the mind with colors

You need to look at the special multi-colored text, which consists of a whole list of shades, but the words do not have a logical sequence. Your task is to produce the name of the color in which the text is written. As soon as you reach the end of the text, the task must be repeated, but vice versa, that is, you will have to start from the very end of the list.

At first, this exercise will be difficult. The thing is that different hemispheres of the brain are responsible for the perception of text and shades. Such an exercise has a positive effect on the relationship between them, and also improves mindfulness and concentration. Moreover, it is believed that this exercise is an excellent prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Write in sync

Memory and mind training is very important for every person. Consider an exercise that promotes simultaneous stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

1. Take two sheets of paper and two pencils.
2. Simultaneously draw different figures or words with both hands, different in meaning, but the same number of characters.

Countdown

Need to count backwards in triplets, i.e. 300, 297, 294, 291, etc. This exercise helps develop working memory.

There is a similar exercise, but it uses letters. For example: you need to come up with a word for each letter of the alphabet. During the execution of such a task, there is a resumption of access to words that we have not used in our speech for a long time, respectively, there is an interaction between nerve cells, which in everyday life are in a state of “half-asleep.”

Chess

Very useful board game, which is designed to train the mind and mindfulness. The fact is that each time you have to think about the move in advance, as well as try to predict the strategy of the opponent. Such a game contributes to the load on working memory and keeping it active.

Useful exercises

The following exercises are useful for brain development:

1. Use your left hand. If you are left-handed, then turn on the right hand. Try to periodically perform everyday activities with a "passive" hand during the day (brush your teeth, fasten the buttons on your clothes, eat, or type on the keyboard). This tactic is necessary in order to transfer the activation of the motor cortex from the left to the right hemisphere. Moreover, the implementation of such an exercise has a positive effect on the developmentcreativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
2. Develop new skills and abilities. Move around your own apartment or house, in which everything is very familiar to you, with your eyes closed. Try to feel to the touch what coins are in your wallet, pour water into a glass, take a shower. All the activities that you decide to perform during the day should be done with your eyes closed. You can use a bandage. Such an exercise helps to engage all the sensory areas of the brain, which in the normal state do not work at all.
3. An interesting exercise is considered to train the mind and character, aimed at changing the way of thinking. It is natural for a person to get used to his image, so it seems pointless for him to try to change his style. Throw away these stereotypes and try on a new image. It could be makeup, clothes or hair. It's up to you, but changes should not be ignored.



4. Don't be afraid to change the interior of your home and workplace. Regularly rearrange the things that surround you in different places. If you do the same thing day after day, then periodically replace routine activities with something new and unknown. This approach stimulates the sensory inputs of the brain and makes life more vibrant and rich, in contrast to the constant tasks that you perform regularly. Habits can seriously tire our brain, so it needs regular shake-ups.
5. Choose a new route to get to work. trytravel more often, as well as every time to rest in a new place. As studies by physiologists show, under such conditions, spatial memory and the size of the hippocampus are actively developing.
6. Try to creatively answer routine questions like “how are you?”, “what's new?”, each time coming up with new phrases. It is very important to abandon stereotypes. If you try to approach everything from a creative side, then you stimulate the memory and speech center in the brain.

Memorize items

The training of the mind and the development of memory involves the regular implementation of the necessary exercises. The lesson that we will now consider can be performed anywhere and at a convenient time for you. Try to remember a few objects that surround you now.

Your task is to pay attention to all the smallest details, and then reproduce all the information in memory. Try to accurately describe the items you have examined (color, size, texture, if there are any chips, cracks or abrasions, etc.). Gradually, the training will have to be complicated. To do this, it will be necessary to choose a larger number of objects or figures and elements that are complex in structure.

Memorize words

Mind training tasks can be performed not only by adults, but also by children. Often the lesson is used in schools and kindergartens. The challenge is to memorize the maximum number of words in the correct sequence and then recall them from memory.

Assume: sun, sky,sakura, grass, blue, blossoms, nature, happy, sea, constellation, sand, excitement, hot, coconut, elephant.

Initially, the exercise resembles memorizing a poem, but differs from it in that it does not have a semantic sequence, respectively, it will be rather difficult to memorize such a set of words and then reproduce it from memory.

Steve Jobs Exercises

If you sit quietly and try to relax, you will notice that our brain is very disturbed. Trying to calm him down can only make things worse. It is very important to learn how to relax with your head, then our brain will begin to open new horizons for learning the subtlest things. This is how Steve Jobs described the state of meditation to his biographer.

Consider doing a mind training exercise from a famous inventor:

1. Sit down and cross your legs in a quiet place where no one can disturb you. Start breathing deeply.
2. Close your eyes and listen to the internal monologue that jumps from one thought to another in your head. Don't try to stop this process. Watch your mind work for 5 minutes.
3. Thoughts will keep circulating in your brain. Your task is to switch all your attention to the "ox mind" - this is the part of our mind that can think calmly and slowly. He does not give judgments, does not look for ways out of situations, but simply sees, hears and feels.
4. As you become aware of the workings of the ox mind, youYou will be able to control the “monkey mind”. Don't worry if over time he will be awake again, this is normal. However, you will notice that the “monkey mind” has become much more likely to rest than to make noise and make a fuss.
5. When you learn to completely calm the "monkey mind", you will find that everything around you has become different. Let's say the window will just seem to you a rectangle that lets light into the room. It does not need to be opened, washed or repaired. It just is. Just like you, here and now.
6. It takes time and regular practice to achieve this state.

Meditation helps you think more clearly and be aware of what is happening in life. Especially often the exercise must be performed when the brain is overloaded to such an extent that it cannot work correctly and smoothly.