To be wholly devoted to some intellectual exercise is to have succeeded in life.
When we think of ways to improve our wellness, we might typically think about drinking more water, eating the right foods, and not skipping that 7 a.m. morning walk. With all the tasks to keep track of in the busy commotion of our everyday lives, it is easy for our intellectual wellness to be put on the back burner, intentionally or not.
Intellectual well-being involves lifelong learning through your formal education and informal life experiences. Well-being in this area increases your openness to new ideas and helps maintain a sense of humor, creativity and curiosity.
Aside from contributing to our overall wellness, when we challenge and stimulate our minds with higher levels of mental activity on a regular basis, we help construct a reserve of healthy and efficient brain cells and connections, leading to reduced cognitive decline (Valenzuela and Sachdev, 2006).
The more brain activities you do, the more frequently you do them, and the more complex the activity, the better your intellectual wellness will be. Inciting intellectual wellness might seem like a confusing, daunting task, but there are actually four simple activities you can try:
- Read. Some of us may think we’re already reading enough when it comes to office emails, class work, or keeping up with those friends on Facebook who we don’t really know but are too hesitant to remove from our friend’s list. How about reading a book! Reading is paramount to intellectual growth as it can improve your memory, enhance your vocabulary, and even increase your capacity to empathize with others.
- Create. On par with reading, exploring your creative side helps with not only memory retention, but also your emotional wellness. Try picking up a creative hobby at home, or even get and use one of those adult coloring books every once in a while.
- Explore. Interacting with the world around us is a great way to challenge our minds in new ways. Nature walks in the park, watching an educational show, or a quick visit to a museum are both budget-friendly avenues for inciting your intellectual wellness. When in doubt, try going to dinner at a place you’ve never been before, or even exploring a new activity such as rock climbing or ice-skating. Or, travel somewhere new.
- Do the opposite. With our busy schedules, it is very easy to get stuck in a comfortable routine. Try taking a different route to work, or even going to a movie that you might not otherwise go see. Or, if you are a person who is always on-the-go, try scheduling some time for yourself to sit down and relax.
Additional intellectual wellness activities could be:
- Explore current events, or attend a lecture.
- Learn a new language.
- Play brain games online or offline such as word search, crossword, chess, or any type of puzzle game.
So, keep your brain active by choosing mental activities that are reasonably complex, varied, new and challenging and do them frequently. There is good evidence that this can help keep your brain functioning well.
To help you ascertain the strength of your intellectual wellness, consider taking this Intellectual Wellness Assessment.
Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death
Andrew Perrin (2016). Book Reading 2016. Pew Research Center, September 1
Michael J Valenzuela, Perminder Sachdev, (2006). Brain reserve and cognitive decline: a non-parametric systematic review, Psychological Medicine, Aug; 36(8): 1065-73. doi: 10.2017/@0033291706007744