Earning that solid five red might be all fun and games, but studies show that encouraging an active mind with small acts of daily engagement helps to keep our brains happy and healthy. It’s easy to forget to schedule some time to give your grey matter the workout that it needs, so here are some suggestions to keep your mental wellness front of mind.
You may be one of the many thousands of Canadians who start their day with a morning Canuckle, but could your daily brain-power boot camp be keeping your brain in shape? Studies show that these daily gaming rituals can help cultivate a better memory and a longer attention span, and can even help to ease the onset of cognitive decline in your later years. One good guess won’t get the job done alone, so here are some simple ways to incorporate some good brain-training habits in your daily routine.
Try A New Game Each Day
Finding games that challenge you in new and exciting ways will prevent these good habits from feeling like a humdrum routine, so you should always be on the lookout to incorporate fresh experiences into the mix. Games with social elements or limited-time promotions can add a splash of novelty, making them especially enticing exercises – you could even get daily promotions on this casino platform across over 600 games backed by an award-winning operator. If access to the hottest new slots, roulette tables, and match games in an internationally-acclaimed casino setting isn’t enough, then their rotating offering of additional rewards and incentives might convince you to sample them, one day at a time.
Staying active is the real name of the game, so if you find yourself getting drawn back to a particular title, consider finding ways to make it more challenging. You could begin timing yourself to complete a favorite game as fast as possible, push to overcome your own high score, or go head to head with friend for a constructive spot of competition. Many players band together to help keep the fun alive; even old-school RPGs like Runescape still shelter thriving communities in private gaming servers!
Staying Sharp by Playing Games
Just like working out for physical fitness, brain training activities help to improve your cognitive abilities in a variety of ways, including improved working memory, faster decision-making and greater mental discipline. It follows that the skills demanded by different types of games are able to exercise different parts of the brain – for example, word games and puzzles are effective as lateral thinking challenges, while card games and games of chance help to focus on the weighing of probabilities and faster processing.
If you find that you struggle to come up with words, you might benefit from developing your vocab with a daily crossword, or if you’d like to beef up your logic and problem-solving skills, a daily sudoku might be just the trick. Remember; consistency is key! Even if you’re not happy with the results at first, you’ll find that you will improve with practice.
Think Outside the Puzzle Box
Though the first styles of games that come to mind when discussing brain training activities tend to be word games and logic puzzles, there’s a whole world of sensory activities great and small that can keep your brain on its toes. Assuming you’ve got a level of fitness that would allow you to get out there and try them yourself, a number of physical activities can also help to cultivate a healthy brain.
Activities such as swimming, dancing and walking on uneven ground challenge the brain to react to a variety of unusual stimuli, while more passive activities such as gardening and meditation help to cultivate discipline through patience. Creative activities can also provide some unique enrichment opportunities, allowing you to explore new ideas in fun and satisfying ways – even if it doesn’t turn out quite right the first time, you’ll still benefit from the attempt.
Bring Some Friends
While it can be great fun to compete against friends or work as a team, the interpretation of social cues and body language are often-overlooked aspects of games that help to keep a mind sharp. In fact, a notable lack of social interactions is considered to be a risk factor in the onset of dementia, increasing a person’s risk of developing dementia by as much as 60%.
Whether it’s spending time with loved ones or striking up a conversation with a stranger, communicating with another person helps to keep that part of the brain active. These skills are drawn on when the game calls for some element of strategy to be conveyed and understood. Though many traditional card games can be played with a friend, games of bluff are closely interwoven with the player’s ability to notice the tells that their opponents are actively trying to conceal.
All Things in Moderation
Despite all the positive ways that gaming helps to keep your brain active and engaged, one can certainly have too much of a good thing. When used regularly, in moderation, these exercises encourage the development of the cognitive skills needed to keep your brain as healthy as possible, but becoming too dependent or too deeply invested in them can ultimately cause more harm than good.
It’s important to remain mindful of how you choose engage with gaming, and to be vigilant for indications that you may be losing sight of your personal goals.