The Internet is Killing Our Brains: 7 Tips to Get it Back
Hello Loves,
Please forgive me for that clickbait of a title. However, it is the truth. How often do you see people commenting on FB about X, Y, or Z and you read it and think...WTF?
For me...way too often.
With the internet, cell phones, and Google people don't need to remember things anymore, we can look everything up, which means you're not exercising your brain as often to its fullest capacity, causing it to lose that ability to stretch.
Insanity! I know.
Well, I'm going to share a few tips on how to get that brainpower back!
1. The first is a method I've been toying with myself and that is: Unplug. I don't mean, turn off you notifications, or simply ignore your email for a few hours. Spend an entire day where you don't look at social media, email, news feeds, blogs, tumblr, Twitter...NONE of it.
If you're making this face at me...keep reading for a second. Several studies have shown that regular unplugging helps your brain recover from the constant barrage of stimuli. Recovery for your brain is just as important as proper stimulation. Next, it can help bring families closer together if you do it as a group. Your eyes will feel better, you neck will feel better, and you will get a better quality of sleep! There are a ton more benefits as well I just didn't want to go into a big long spiel. I myself have started trying to spend Sundays completely unplugged.
2. Brain Exercises! Yep...like all muscles the brain needs exercise. Checking twitter 15 times a day does not count as exercise. Studies are showing that humans today have a shorter attention span than GOLDFISH! Come on people...start working on building your memory, your focus, and your attention span. You can use flashcards, you can use an app, you can use pen and paper. Look online for brain exercises and hop in!
3. Get more sleep and drink more water.
I know...people have been saying this for years. Do you want to know why? Because it's true!! Drink more water and get more sleep...both of these will help your brain! I could also throw eat brain-boosting foods, and exercise regularly in here too.
4. Force yourself into new experiences. I am very aware everyone has their own personal comfort zones. I have my own. When you do something new your brain actually has to structure around this new experience, creating neural pathways that didn't exist. This is growing your brain!
5. Read a book.
Reading accomplishes many of the previously discussed points. It can make you brain have a new experience (not the reading hopefully but the scenes and visual images), it will help you train your focus and attention span, and it's a form of unplugging (well if you read a paperback book). Try a new genre to up the ante! Reading also reduces tension, stress, and allows your body to release feel good chemicals!
6. Be Bored. Something I read in Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, that struck me was this point. Spend time being bored! Once the world got cell phones its as if being bored became a taboo. Practice this by standing and waiting in line (wherever) and just stand there. Taking in your surroundings, explore the people, textures, sensations...you could learn something new and boost your brain! Or you could try talking to people...strangers even...that used to happen.
7. Do the difficult thing. Again with the cell phones and computers all at easy access we don't need to spend a minute adding up our grocery bill by hand. There are number of tasks in the day that we make easier by using technology. This is shortcutting the experience for our brain. By doing the difficult thing we allow our brain to grow and learn from it. Try learning a new language with a book. Try doing math with pencil and paper. Write words with pencil and paper. There are any number of things that we can do per day that could be put into this category. If you even switch up one per day then you are helping your brain!
Let's stop sharing intellect with a goldfish and retake our brain power. The brains of Allen Turing, Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou...and so many celebrated thinkers.
How about you? Have you felt your brain power going? Do you have any tips to share or experience in recovering it?
XOXO
MC
P.S. I spend a lot of time reading books about productivity and brain power...you can see them as I read them on Goodreads if you give me a follow.
Please forgive me for that clickbait of a title. However, it is the truth. How often do you see people commenting on FB about X, Y, or Z and you read it and think...WTF?
For me...way too often.
With the internet, cell phones, and Google people don't need to remember things anymore, we can look everything up, which means you're not exercising your brain as often to its fullest capacity, causing it to lose that ability to stretch.
Insanity! I know.
Well, I'm going to share a few tips on how to get that brainpower back!
1. The first is a method I've been toying with myself and that is: Unplug. I don't mean, turn off you notifications, or simply ignore your email for a few hours. Spend an entire day where you don't look at social media, email, news feeds, blogs, tumblr, Twitter...NONE of it.
If you're making this face at me...keep reading for a second. Several studies have shown that regular unplugging helps your brain recover from the constant barrage of stimuli. Recovery for your brain is just as important as proper stimulation. Next, it can help bring families closer together if you do it as a group. Your eyes will feel better, you neck will feel better, and you will get a better quality of sleep! There are a ton more benefits as well I just didn't want to go into a big long spiel. I myself have started trying to spend Sundays completely unplugged.
2. Brain Exercises! Yep...like all muscles the brain needs exercise. Checking twitter 15 times a day does not count as exercise. Studies are showing that humans today have a shorter attention span than GOLDFISH! Come on people...start working on building your memory, your focus, and your attention span. You can use flashcards, you can use an app, you can use pen and paper. Look online for brain exercises and hop in!
3. Get more sleep and drink more water.
I know...people have been saying this for years. Do you want to know why? Because it's true!! Drink more water and get more sleep...both of these will help your brain! I could also throw eat brain-boosting foods, and exercise regularly in here too.
4. Force yourself into new experiences. I am very aware everyone has their own personal comfort zones. I have my own. When you do something new your brain actually has to structure around this new experience, creating neural pathways that didn't exist. This is growing your brain!
5. Read a book.
Reading accomplishes many of the previously discussed points. It can make you brain have a new experience (not the reading hopefully but the scenes and visual images), it will help you train your focus and attention span, and it's a form of unplugging (well if you read a paperback book). Try a new genre to up the ante! Reading also reduces tension, stress, and allows your body to release feel good chemicals!
6. Be Bored. Something I read in Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, that struck me was this point. Spend time being bored! Once the world got cell phones its as if being bored became a taboo. Practice this by standing and waiting in line (wherever) and just stand there. Taking in your surroundings, explore the people, textures, sensations...you could learn something new and boost your brain! Or you could try talking to people...strangers even...that used to happen.
7. Do the difficult thing. Again with the cell phones and computers all at easy access we don't need to spend a minute adding up our grocery bill by hand. There are number of tasks in the day that we make easier by using technology. This is shortcutting the experience for our brain. By doing the difficult thing we allow our brain to grow and learn from it. Try learning a new language with a book. Try doing math with pencil and paper. Write words with pencil and paper. There are any number of things that we can do per day that could be put into this category. If you even switch up one per day then you are helping your brain!
Let's stop sharing intellect with a goldfish and retake our brain power. The brains of Allen Turing, Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou...and so many celebrated thinkers.
How about you? Have you felt your brain power going? Do you have any tips to share or experience in recovering it?
XOXO
MC
P.S. I spend a lot of time reading books about productivity and brain power...you can see them as I read them on Goodreads if you give me a follow.
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