Have you experienced difficulty concentrating at work or at home lately? Or maybe you’re having a tough time remembering things like names of people you meet or birthdays of your loved ones? This can happen when our mind is feeling foggy or overwhelmed, and can begin to happen even more often as we age.
Keeping your mind fresh and active is the best way to stay sharp and on top of things, so you can stop having trouble getting through that long list of things to do. But how do you keep your brain in tip-top shape? Exercise, of course!
Exercise isn’t just for your physical health, it is for your mental health, too.
Brain exercises improve memory and brain function, and they can be quick and easy to do. Below you’ll find two 5-minute brain exercises to perform each day to
strengthen your brain and improve your memory, concentration, and brain function.
5-Minute Head Tapping: A Brain Exercise for Refreshing the Mind
When the mind is engaged too intensively with work or besieged with too many thoughts, it’s common for the head to feel overheated. This is caused by lack of good energy and blood circulation. If it continues, thoughts will not cease and your focus level will drop significantly. In this case, try gentle, specific tapping to
open energy points on the head. This head tapping exercise will supply oxygen and energy to your brain and clear your mind.
How to Practice Head Tapping:
- 1. Gently tap your head with your fingers. Breathe out all the active oxygen and heat that has accumulated from the stress. Smiling brightly while tapping will help oxygen flow even better to the brain.
- 2. On your forehead tap the frontal lobe, which controls memory and thinking skills, and imagine ideas springing from your head.
- 3. Tap the parietal lobe on the top of your head and imagine that the nerve functions and somatic senses of the parietal lobe are improving.
- 4. Tap the sides of your head near your ears and imagine your hearing abilities becoming clearer and stronger.
- 5. Tap the occipital lobe on the back of your head and imagine your vision improving and your eyes becoming clearer.
- 6. Tap the cerebellum at the bottom of the back of your head and imagine your athletic and hand-eye coordination and sense of balance improving.
- 7. Tap all around your head once again, and then sweep your head with the palms of your hands; your brain will feel refreshed!
5 Minute Brain-Stretching Exercise
Blood supply is extremely important to the brain since it carries the oxygen essential for healthy neuron activity. If there is energy stagnation, however, the brain’s blood circulation can be hindered; the majority of intractable brain diseases, such as cerebral hemorrhage, apoplectic dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, are due to a lack of blood circulation in the brain and a corresponding loss of neurons.
This upper body stretch can actively stimulate blood circulation in the brain to help prevent disease and promote youthful health. In fact, it is especially beneficial for those who engage in a great deal of mental activity.
How to Practice Brain Stretching:
- 1. Sit comfortably in front of a table and place both hands on the table about shoulder-width apart.
- 2. Bend your head down so that your chin touches your chest. Focus your awareness on the sensation of the muscles in the back of your neck being stretched and hold the stretch.
- 3. Bring your head downward just as it is and feel the stretching in your neck, back, and spine.
- 4. As you breathe in, slowly bring your head back and push your chest out and stretch it. Focus on the parts of the front of your neck and chest where you feel the pull, and hold the stretch. As you breathe out, return to the original position. Repeat this exercise at least three times.
Now that you’re prepared with two new 5-minute brain exercises to incorporate into your daily routine, you should start seeing improvement in your brain health! You’re just 10 minutes a day away from improved concentration, memory, and function.