Five Ways To Challenge Your Brain
Did you know that January is International Brain Teaser Month? We always emphasise physical health, though now and then it’s important to give your brain a good workout. Brain teasers are a fabulous way to keep your mind challenged and focused.
Nowadays, there are a plethora of teasers out there, from puzzles to phone apps with daily reminders, from easy tasks to seriously sophisticated! Here are our top five ways to challenge your brain!
Plus, check out our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing some brain teasers just for you!
1. Riddles
Two trains are heading towards each other on the same track, on the same day, both at seven o’clock. Why do they not crash? To answer this question, your brain needs to think “outside of the box”. You can test yourself trying to figure out the answer, and once you know, try challenging your colleagues and friends.
Riddles are a great way to sharpen your brain, and usually very fun! These brain teasers pose questions that have to be answered using the information within the riddle. At times these teasers are simple, and they can be answered relatively quickly. At other times the questions are more taxing.
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the answer is one train is travelling at 7 pm and the other at 7 am.
2. Optical Illusions
Do you remember the magic eye? Optical illusions were all the rage back in the 1990s, long before the internet became an indispensable part of our lives. Optical illusions were a sensational trend as everyone tried to see things others found hard to see!
The magic eye series of books featured auto-stereograms, which allow some people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. But don’t worry if these don’t work for you. Optical illusions don’t work on everyone: depth perception requires both eyes to work in conjunction. This means people with impaired depth perception or people who have one exceptionally dominant eye (in other words, a “lazy eye”) will often find it more difficult to spot the image.
3. Classic Board Games
Playing a board game with friends is an excellent way to keep your brain ticking. It’s best to look for games that involve strategy or an element of problem-solving. One such example is quiz games, since they tap into many areas of our brain and there’s a race against time element to them.
Scrabble is also an excellent board game that stimulates the brain and helps you grow your vocabulary. You can play with a large group of friends and really make a night of it
4. Download An App!
If you want to set your own goals and challenge yourself daily, then why not download a brain training app? There are countless brain-training apps which let you go through a personalized training program to improve your focus, cognitive skills and processing speed. Most apps will include games intended to boost productivity, self-confidence, and learning ability on the go.
5. Puzzles
Sudoku is an obvious choice when it comes to brain-teasing puzzles, though if maths isn’t for everyone, word searches, crosswords and even dot-to-dots are all great puzzles to play where your brain is in an active thinking state.
Other than print-based problems, why not consider adult jigsaw puzzles consisting of thousands of pieces! You can even find 3D puzzles these days, and these are excellent for your brains visual and spatial skills!
Keep Your Brain Fit In 2020 With A Mental Workout
There are so many ways to challenge yourself. Brain teasers help exercise your brain and are a welcome addition in the fight against cognitive decline. Along with physical exercising, eating healthy, and socialising as much as possible, brain teasers are a refreshing activity!
You can also use the hashtag #BrainteaserMonth to find mentally-stimulating challenges on social media, or even post your own if you’ve seen or thought of a fun and challenging question or puzzle to give to others, so go on, give brain teasers a go!
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