Food for Your Brain

Just like we need a balanced meal for our bodies, research done by neuropsychiatrists Dan Siegel and David Rock tells us that we need a platter of brain food for a healthy mind. Including the following seven activities for your grey matter in your daily diet, your brain will function much better. Let’s take a look at how we should spend time for our brain.

SLEEP TIME

Your body needs sleep more than you may know. Many of us stay up late, getting just one more thing done, and the morning surprises us. The night flew by too quickly! Your brain takes that rest time to do some housekeeping, integrating what is happening during your waking hours. When you are asleep, your mind and your body are not. They are working together, digesting food, making good use of sugar, and being vigilant against germs, viruses, and other internal varmints. TAKE TIME TO SLEEP!

PHYSICAL TIME

Instead of telling yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow, get to the gym today. It’s not just your body that benefits from exercise. Believe it or not, Siegel and Rock and other medical professionals will tell you that moving those muscles help to make the brain grow and stay healthier for longer. Go for a swim, take a walk, ride a bike. TAKE TIME TO MOVE!

DOWNTIME

We live in such a frenzied, quick-paced world that we seldom take the time just to pause. To sit and do nothing. To chill. Just to relax. Too often we think that kicking back is not productive. Not so. Our brains enjoy a little rest with nothing, in particular, to think about. TAKE TIME TO RELAX!

FOCUS TIME

It’s also important to have time on your mind platter to think something through and in a burst of cerebral activity, see it through, to put it into focus. Take a good look at a project you are working on or a solution you are pondering. Figure things out. Don’t let anything interrupt you. Stay put with your phone off and concentrate. TAKE TIME TO CONCENTRATE!

PLAYTIME

Your brain also enjoys moments of fun and games. Don’t always keep your brain in serious mode, but instead, break away to play a Sudoku game or to colour a picture or to sing a song. Let the child in you emerge and enjoy your youth lived at a later time. Giggle with friends, go to a musical, catch the latest show. TAKE TIME TO HAVE FUN!

TIME IN

Perhaps you don’t have a labyrinth nearby, but take the time to reflect, to go inside and explore your thoughts and feelings about things. By integrating your emotions with your logic, you can better make sense of things. Experiencing your emotions puts colour to your way of thinking, and anchoring your thoughts with the strength of logic helps you to balance your reactions. TAKE TIME TO PONDER!

CONNECT TIME

Get out and talk to people. Enjoy the sunshine. Be in awe of your surroundings. Mother Nature’s best shows are often ignored accidentally. Be grateful for what you have and pass along a compliment to someone else. Do something nice without getting caught. Connecting with others helps you to connect with yourself. TAKE TIME TO BE KIND!