I am a huge reader, podcaster listener and always interested to hear about new things. I more recently came across Dr. Daniel Amen. I heard him on a few podcasts and recently bought his book "Change Your Brain Everyday". As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression the first main point that caught my attention is that the brain is the only part of your body that isn't looked at before diagnosing an illness and medication. To be clear, I think that if a drug can help someone live a happier and fuller life, I am all for it. I just found it fascinating that there are facilities that do brain imaging that can clearly diagnose a mental health issue but insurance doesn't cover it. Makes me disheartened.
However, this is a happy blog and there was a page in the book that I'd like to share a part of. The page is title "Best Mental Exercises for Your Brain". Dr. Amen explains that just doing a crossword puzzle is like going to the gym. You want to workout your entire brain and here are some suggestions he gave on how to do just that:
Exercises for varias parts of your brain:
Prefrontal Cortex: Language games like Scrabble, Wordle, word puzzles, etc.
Temporal Lobe: Memory games, learning a new instrument
Partietal Lobes: Math games like suduku, juggling, map reading
Cerebellum: Coordination games like tennis, dancing , yoga
I would recommend the book. It's an easy read and every day it gives you another tip or something to think about. It's eye opening to see how we are making our lives so much more difficult unintentionally.
