{"id":153148,"date":"2020-05-29T02:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T09:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=153148"},"modified":"2020-08-05T14:55:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T21:55:54","slug":"brain-exercises-to-calm-your-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/brain-exercises-to-calm-your-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Quick Brain Exercises to Calm Your Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

It kind of feels like the whole world is in survival mode right now, and everyone is doing what they can to cope. TikTok<\/a> and banana bread recipes<\/a>\u00a0can only go so far, right?<\/p>\n

Good news: distracting yourself from what\u2019s going on is not the only answer! We can actually train our brains to be calm in any circumstance; all we need are some good mental exercises and a tiny<\/em> bit of motivation to stay consistent.<\/p>\n

So, take a break from the face masks<\/a> and wine<\/a>\u00a0and give your brain a good stretch with these exercises.<\/p>\n

Move your body<\/strong>
\nEver feel a euphoric sense of clarity after a good workout? It\u2019s not your imagination! Physical activity raises the heart rate, pushing blood through the body faster than usual. This means more oxygen is carried to the brain, which results in a clearer and steadier mind. What\u2019s more, some studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise actually increases the size of important parts of your brain<\/a>, like the hippocampus, which is responsible for the regulation of our emotions, motivation, and memory.<\/p>\n

Call a friend<\/strong>
\nEven when you can\u2019t get the benefits of hugs<\/a> from friends, your brain still wants to socialize. Social interaction, especially with people you love and trust, provides perspective, empathy, and critical thinking — all important stuff for tired brains. Check out these fun ways<\/a>\u00a0you and your loved ones can get together while apart!<\/p>\n

Drink water<\/strong>
\nYes, we know \u2013 it’s not fun. But there is evidence that even minimal dehydration can cause moodiness<\/a>, and long-term moderate dehydration can negatively affect attention span, motor skills, and memory. If the thought of gulping plain water makes you want to die, try adding a squeeze of lemon or some cucumber and orange slices to dress it up!<\/p>\n

Learn a new skill<\/strong>
\nAs we get older, it gets harder to teach our brains new tricks<\/a>, but when you learn new things — especially skills that require repeated practice to improve — your brain forms new thought pathways<\/a>. And more pathways make for a clearer head! The benefit of learning new skills is a double whammy: the satisfaction of getting good at something new and<\/em> giving your thoughts room to breathe.<\/p>\n

Listen to music<\/strong>
\nDance parties (even solo ones) have been known to calm anxiety, but science says<\/a> music\u2019s soothing powers take root even when you\u2019re not getting your groove on. Simply taking some time to kick back with your headphones can reduce stress, improve physical health, and even support your immune system.<\/p>\n

Draw a picture from memory<\/strong>
\nStressed brains love to have something to focus on. Look at a photo for 30 seconds to a minute, then try to draw it from memory. Start with something simple and move on to more complex images for more of a challenge. Add some friends (via Zoom<\/a> if you\u2019re quarantined alone) and a timer to spice it up with a little competition!<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"It kind of feels like the whole world is in survival mode right now, and ...","author":7532754,"featured_media":154033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[586],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/28134951\/exercises.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/28134951\/exercises-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"May 29, 2020","category_name":"Wellness","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113835\/health-2.svg","author_name":"Emma Cloutier","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#8cf2b0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153148"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}