Born This Way
Left brain, thinking. Right brain, feelings. Analytical. Creative. The brain is divided into two hemispheres and each half serves a different function. When someone is said to be right-brained, they are more feeling, creative, imaginative. When someone is said to be left-brained, they are meant to be more analytical, facts-oriented, logical, or sequential.
But what does it really mean? That you can only be one or the other? While it’s true that some people like to say that they are more one way than the other, research seems to suggest (in 2013 research) that magnetic resonanace imaging shows no proof that people have a dominant side to their brain. But it is true that the different halves behave differently for us!
So be creative! And analytical! At the same time even!
I have always enjoyed taking both hemispheres out for walks every day. I like to spend time being creative and spend time solving problems every single day. You can too!
So how do you engage with both parts of your brain? After all, science has shown that fighting against dementia and staying sharp are done more often with exercising your mind. And there’s no time to start like the present to build the habits for continued good brain function so you can have a happy and long life with your faculties intact!
Here’s what you should endeavor to do every day to keep your mind sharp and your brain fully engaged (pick some things off the list and vary it every day):
* listen to music (choose different styles every day)
* read something engaging (thought provoking!)
* have a conversation with someone (a deep and meaningful/real conversation)
* solve a puzzle (crossword puzzles or sudoku are good ones easily found)
* create something (even if it’s doodle on a napkin or a folded straw paper wrapper turned into an animal)
* taste things to engage your senses (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) and identify what you taste to appreciate your senses
* appreciate someone and feel it in your being that you do
* close your eyes and spend a couple minutes breathing deeply while clearing your mind
* open your eyes and look at something and study it (how do you move your fingers? what is the smallest detail you can see in a flower? what does the end of a pencil really look like up close?)
* write a short story, a poem, or even just a vivid description of something down to use words, thoughts, and ideas every day
* play a game even if it’s just imaginary and all you’re doing is throwing imaginary darts at a wall
These are some of the things that you can do to engage your mind, engage your senses, and build skills that will help you to keep on top of your health, your life, and your game.
There are some things you can do that allow you to be both technical and artistic at the same time for maximum use of your time and your brain. Look at things like:
* Creating composite photos from digital photos using specialized software can involve appreciating photography, technical skills, and artistic skills all at the same time
* Molecular gastronomy involves using science and cooking skills at the same time to create new/unique approaches to food
* Creating puzzles for others to solve helps you to try to be creative and analytical at the same time
* Even simple baking involves timing, very precise measurements and ratios to deliver expected results for a good-tasting product with the expected consistency, texture, and color
* Take on a project like knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery or crocheting because they are all artistic and at the same time technical for how to count, how to pull, how to make that finished item look like it’s supposed to look
You can always find things around you that should engage both sides of your creativity and your thinking if you try!