Wellness Journalism: Whole Brain Fitness

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Though the brain is an organ, it can be trained like a muscle. You can make it more flexible, strengthen its powers of concentration, or increase its weight-bearing capacity (figuratively speaking).

In an academic environment, certain parts of the brain get a lot of exercise—primarily those involved in act of studying and taking tests. There is a great deal of reading, memorizing, analyzing, reviewing, and recalling. While the intellectual prowess cultivated in the classroom is wonderfully useful in its own right, balanced mental fitness requires additional consideration.

Cranial Calisthenics for the Prevention of Lopsided Lobes

1. Read for pleasure. Browse the internet for blogs and articles that capture your interest, or pick up a book you’ve been curious about.

2. Switch up your routines. If you are right handed, use your left hand for awhile. If you always drink coffee in the morning, have a cup of tea instead.

3. Play! From sports and games to fort-building and tree-climbing, activate your imagination.

4. Engage in lively conversation and friendly debate. Challenge and explore conventional schools of thought, social norms, and institutions.

5. Reflect. Take some quiet time in the evening to think about your day—you’re likely to discover an aspect or two that’s marked for review.

6. Have new experiences. Go someplace you’ve never been, do something you’ve never done, or get to know somebody you haven’t met.

7. Create open-ended opportunities. Whether it’s drawing a picture, writing a story or poem, painting the furniture, inventing a recipe, or reorganizing your room, cultivate the creative flow.

Intellectual Wellness isn’t just getting good grades, although good grades are often a happy byproduct of Intellectual Wellness. Train the whole brain!

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