How to keep our brain functional and sharp is one of our main concerns, however, losing our brain’s functionality and sharpness is something we have to worry about until we get old. Although many of us think that this is the right way to take care of our cognitive functions, worrying about our mental health should start in the earlier stages of our lives, says science.

Apparently, fluid intelligence which allows us to think and react subsequently starts reducing in our 20s. The ability to recognizes faces also starts to drop after our early 30s, while the processing information speed starts to decline at the age of 18 or 19. After age 35 our short-term memory function starts dropping and as you can see, worrying about our mental health should start earlier than assumed, explains the Massachusets Institute of Technology.

Anyway, being aware of these facts means that you are one step ahead and can start improving your mental health starting today. Certain moves we make can strengthen our memory and slow the mental decline, despite the aging process, according to the senior professor and author of the book entitled: ‘Improve Your Memory for a Healthy Brain’, W.R. Klemm. He claims that our brain doesn’t age the same as other organs, and doesn’t age the same with everyone.

According to the researchers of the professor, there are multiple proven ways that can help us improve our mental health and keep our cognitive functions vital. Keep reading and learn the three main exercises that can help you keep your brain in shape:

  1. Always feed your brain with new information and improve its sharpness with physical experiences

In order to keep your brain sharp, you need to constantly feed your memory with new information and improve the cognitive functions by challenging yourself in different ways. Although higher levels of mental functioning are often related to advanced education, experts from Harvard say that it’s not necessary to go to grad school in order to exercise your brain. People with lower education can practice brain workout with learning new things alone or challenge themselves in order to exercise their episodic memory. You can make puzzles, start photographing or maybe learn completely new skills that will keep your brain active and vital. People often think that reading book is enough to keep their brain sharp but they’re wrong. Always be open to learning something new outside the books. Mental activity and having enough sleep as well are crucial for keeping your brain sharp and lead a healthy lifestyle.

  1. Become an expert at avoiding stress and noise

Being stressed all the time doesn’t do any good to your brain and certainly wastes your mental energy. Your brain will fight stress all the time and over the years its ability to fight stress will become weaker. Experiencing stress is the worst experience your brain can face. Stress can cause you anxiety and make it harder for you to learn new information. This leads to the conclusion that your brain won’t keep its sharpness but become weaker. In order to avoid this, you need to become an expert at avoiding stress and noise. We mentioned noise as well because noise can blur your focus. Avoid noise and stress as much as you can and start meditation. Breath slow, shut out every negative thought and force your brain to focus only on what’s most important. Meditating is definitely one of the best moves you can take to sharpen your focus and keep your brain vital. Remembering unnecessary details can also keep you from learning new things. According to studies, our brain can handle a certain amount of information at once and have a static memory system can expand our capacity. Repeating information like telephone numbers and recalling them after could also boost our memory and improve our brain activity.

  1. Think positively

Instead of seeing the dark side of everything and let depression take over your mind, practice positivity. According to studies, positive messages send to seniors improve their memory and help them realize memory tasks better unlike when we send negative messages that can slow down their cognitive functions. However, if you suffer from depression or some other mental illness, it’s also important to seek help because positive thinking might not be enough sometimes. Long story short – staying positive can certainly sharpen your brain and help you improve your mental health. Keep in mind that you don’t have to wait until you grow old to exercise your brain. Start today and don’t forget that you’re always in charge of your health.

Based On: Mic.com