Brain Games

I love to play games. Board games, card games, electronic games, games on my phone - I enjoy them all. Sometimes I get nervous when I'm trying to learn a new game - I tend to play games that I already know and especially like to play games that I am good at. 

I've been watching webinars and reading articles about the importance of brain health, and how playing games and other activities may help to ward off Alzheimer's and dementia. Research shows that learning new activities is better for your brain than activities that you do frequently. For example, crossword puzzles are good, but if you do them a lot, you should take the time to switch things up and include learning a new skill. Cooking, dancing, playing an instrument, and studying a new language are very beneficial activities for your brain. So is writing. 

I have a phone app called Mind Games Pro that I really enjoy. I don't work for the company, and it's a free app anyway, so I'm not trying to sell anyone anything. There are about 40 games on the app; some examples are math operations and vocabulary power, and other games work on memory and attention and other concepts. Usually there are certain games that I like the best, and I tend to play those and ignore the games that I am not good at. But remembering the research, I have started having the app pick the game for me, called the Training Center, because that makes me play the games that I am not as good at, so maybe I can improve at those games, and exercise my brain more. That was a total run-on sentence, but anyway...

The other day the app made me play a game called mental rotation. It's hard to explain, but the game gives you two images, or shapes, and you have to decide quickly if the shapes are the same. The shapes are often rotated, which makes it more difficult to determine if the shapes are the same. I am finding this game VERY challenging! Sometimes I feel like I'm figuring it out, and my scores are decent. Sometimes my scores are terrible and I'm frustrated. I did so much better previously, what is the problem? But I keep playing it. I don't want to give up. I can tell that when I'm tired I often don't do as well. It's not a good idea for me to play late at night, but that is often what I do. Still, I think the Training Center is a good way to use the app, because it makes me play games that are more difficult for me. You can skip a game if you want to, but it's better not to do that.

I spend too much time scrolling through Facebook. I need to use my time more time more wisely and productively. I need to be writing and reading more. I've also always wanted to learn sign language. That would be a very beneficial activity for my brain. I've also always wanted to learn how to play the piano. One of the hardest parts is to just start trying. Don't worry about failure. Don't think that you've wasted your time if you don't do well at something, or if you ultimately give up what you were trying to learn. Understand that the attempt was worth the time and effort. And you were doing something helpful for your brain, your mental health, and your overall health.

librarianintx