Your Brain: Getting better in time

This blog’s for all my folks who have finished undergraduate and aren’t quite aboard the graduate school express. This is especially for you if you aren’t quite in your desired career field or just generally bored. Have you ever felt like you were just losing brain cells? Just think about it, in college your mind was consistently challenged in class, you were required to regularly use critical thinking, and who can forget all the research papers (wasn’t that just a blast)? Then you enter the workforce and unless you skipped up the ranks, you likely have done a host of administrative work. Don’t get me wrong; administrative assistants of the world—stand up! Companies wouldn’t have success without you. But you must admit that it’s not always the most interesting or mind-bending and chances are, you aren’t using the same part of your brain that you did in college.

There is good news though. You’re not getting dumber over time! Watching my local news this morning, I learned that the brain itself stays sharp in some areas. According the a report from English newspaper The Telegraph, long-term memory, vocabulary, emotional intelligence and social skills stay intact or might actually show improvement. This probably explains why we can look at past events that at the time seemed monumental and view them as just “little things.”

With all good things, there is always a flip side. As you get older, aspects such as short-term memory, learning skills, and the ability to reason decrease. Now you understand why it’s sometimes harder for senior citizens to remember recent events, pick up new skills like technology (I’m in my 20’s and I still need help), or be rational. Be patient! This is likely going to be you when you are their age.

All in all, you MUST engage your brain to stay sharp. You can only fight biology through effort! Reading books and newspapers (yes they still exist) and doing puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku, or even math problems (yep, I really said math) are excellent ways to challenge your mind in a simple, easy manner. You could always study for grad exams like I did, too. Borders, Barnes & Nobles, etc are our friends!

Feeling bored? Do a puzzle! You will be so glad you did in about 30 years!

Reference article: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpps/news/study-aging-brains-retain-knowledge-dpgoh-20100628-fc_8368690