Are you aware that 96% of life plan community members read a newspaper or book at least once a week? The Age Well survey by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging confirmed these statistics, indicating that even in retirement, seniors are putting their intellectual wellness first.
At Moorings Park Communities, wellness is not an activity, it’s a culture. This focus throughout the community integrates the industry’s commonly accepted seven dimensions of wellness that foster successful aging: physical; social; spiritual; vocational; emotional; environmental; and intellectual. Our team constantly focuses on ways to improve offering to enhance those dimensions and demonstrates that ultimately taking care of yourself leads to a higher quality of life. Keep reading to find out why intellectual wellness is essential and simple ways to enhance it.
What is Intellectual Wellness?
Intellectual wellness is a person's capacity to accept new ideas, perspectives, and experiences, allowing us to expand our skills and general knowledge. Such persons apply the knowledge gained to their interpersonal interactions as well as their individual choices. In turn, this enhances their problem-solving skills as well as critical thinking capabilities.
Why is Intellectual Wellness Important?
An intellectually healthy person engages actively in educational, cultural, and communal activities. Such individuals are also highly creative, curious, and on a never-ending learning curve. By engaging in activities that promote intellectual wellness, your brain remains agile for longer. Thus, intellectual wellness greatly improves the chances of living a happy, active, and rewarding life.
5 Ways to Improve Senior Intellectual Wellness
The same way you exercise your physical body to keep fit and remain strong is the same way you can participate in activities to promote intellectual wellness. Improving intellectual health is a vital aspect of healthy and happy living. Below are five simple activities to help in enhancing senior intellectual wellness.
1. Read Books
Reading is a simple approach to boosting your intellectual wellness. Take some time each day, even if it is only five minutes, to read for pleasure, whether a motivational book, a newsletter or a literary fiction novel. Perhaps try one of the books recommended by our CogniFit specialist, Kelli Russo to strengthen your brain.
Reading, in whatever form, is significantly more brain-expanding than skimming through social media platforms or tuning into a TV program. While all hobbies can help you relax, nothing beats a good book for stimulating your mind and helping you learn new things.
2. Play Mentally Stimulating Games
Engaging in mentally stimulating games and puzzles goes a long way in helping you maintain a healthy and active brain. Whether you are putting together an 800-piece puzzle or working on a Rubik's cube, these games help keep your mind fit. Even if you only spend a few minutes per day playing games and solving puzzles, your brain will benefit tremendously.
3. Journal Regularly
Putting down your thoughts in words is a great way to exercise your brain and share your emotions. It is also an excellent way to reduce anxiety and prevent chronic stress. Writing serves as a creative activity that helps you learn something new and improve your skills.
4. Learn New Skills
Joining a foreign language class, picking up new dance routines, or engaging in any other learning program that improves the intellect and maintains the brain's sharpness can all help in enhancing intellectual wellness. As a result, learning new things aids in widening your knowledge as well as improving your personal relationships.
5. Engage in Invigorating Discussions and Debates with Friends and Family Members
Everyone can benefit from conversing with like-minded people. However, chatting with those with opposing viewpoints can drastically improve your intellectual wellness. Exposing your thinking to other points of view can improve your attention span and comprehend new knowledge. But it is best to avoid themes that bring tension, rage, or aggressiveness when engaging in constructive disputes.
As you engage in activities to enhance your intellectual wellbeing, make sure you have fun. If the activities you are trying to boost your mental health with are fun and cheery, you will be more inclined to persist with them. Find activities that motivate you to do them while allowing you to gain new knowledge. Moorings Park Communities offers several activities to enhance your intellectual wellness. Contact us today for more information on the intellectual wellness programs offered at Moorings Park Communities.
