Stay Mentally Sharp

Stay Mentally Sharp

You can teach an old dog new wits. In fact, with patience and perseverance, a typical person over 60 can maintain and possibly even improve his mental sharpness, says Michael Chafetz, Ph.D., clinical psychologist in New Orleans and author of Smart for Life.

“The brain is pliable at any age. It just slows down a little bit as you get older,” Dr. Chafetz says. “But research shows that you can stimulate blood flow to the areas of the brain that are responsible for certain functions like mental calculations, language, learning, and memory, just by exercising your mind.” To make the most of your mind’s potential, you need to challenge it, stay socially active, and believe in yourself. Here’s a closer look at these three mind-building tools.

Seek Out Challenges

Even at age 60, 70, or 80, the brain is a work in progress. It needs constant stimulation to stay mentally sharp. That’s why challenging activities are your brain’s best friends. In fact, the more you can keep your brain doing things—reading, writing, traveling, learning new information—the more resistant your brain will be to the effects of aging, Dr. Chafetz says. Here’s what he suggests to keep your mind challenged.

• Turn off the television. TV really is mindless. Researchers at Kansas State University in Manhattan found that people who watched just 15 minutes of television had diminished brain-wave activity, an indication that their minds were turning off.

• Flip open the nearest book. Reading is a time-tested brain booster that helps improve language skills while keeping your memory strong.

• Turn your head into a calculator. Your brain will stay sharper if you trust it to add, subtract, and multiply.

• Anytime you pick up a pen instead of the telephone, you help keep your mind sharp. Writing clarifies thoughts, improves logic, and strengthens memory. Take a few minutes to write at least one letter a week to a friend or relative. Or write a letter to the editor or a note to a manufacturer, evaluating a product you recently bought.

• Take part in civilized debate. Debate is a terrific way to strengthen your logic, particularly if you can practice arguing both sides of an issue. For fun, ask a friend to debate a controversial issue like Medicare reform with you. Each of you can take a few minutes to jot down 10 statements supporting or opposing the issue. Swap lists and take turns trying to find logical gaps in the other person’s argument.

• Tongue twisters not only improve speech but also help improve concentration by exercising circuits between brain cells. At least once a day, take a minute to practice your favorite tongue twister. Try saying this one five times in a row: Fresh fried fish don’t flip like fresh fish flip.

• Puns and other types of humor spark creativity and encourage your mind to look at problems in new ways. Take a moment to really think about words you hear, and then see what odd twists you can come up with. For example, dumbbell—a bell that’s not too bright.

• Clip funny cartoons, photos, and stories from newspapers and magazines and put them up in a “humor gallery” in your home. Whether you’re making your own humor or enjoying someone else’s, you need to look at the world from odd angles. This change in perspective will help keep your mind active.

• Doing crosswords and other puzzles creates new pathways in the brain, literally exercising the brain cells involved in word retrieval, vocabulary, and comprehension.

• Put a new twist on old games. When playing Scrabble, for example, require that each word have a minimum number of letters. When doing a jigsaw puzzle, try turning over all the pieces and then put it all together from the blank side. These added challenges will stimulate your imagination, focus your concentration, and put your logic skills to the test.

• Take up an instrument. Playing music brings an enormous number of skills into play, from improving coordination and concentration to fostering your creative instincts. Just playing an instrument for 10 to 15 minutes a day can give your brain a good workout.

• Allow yourself to shift gears. If your favorite hobby seems a bit stale, your mind may be getting weary, too. So try something new. If you tire of woodworking, why not try sculpting with clay? Certainly, different hobbies require different skills, but you need to be open to change if you want to stay mentally sharp.

• Sharing your accumulated lifelong learning with others is a tremendous challenge and great for the mind. Many community centers and civic organizations are eager for volunteers who can teach hobbies, languages, or other skills.

Dare to Connect

Loneliness kills. In fact, compared to those with strong social networks, older Americans who have few relationships are at two to four times greater risk of premature death, regardless of weight, alcohol use, and other lifestyle factors, says Robert L. Kahn, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology and public health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and co-author of Successful Aging.

“The impact of social isolation on mortality is even stronger than cigarette smoking,” Dr. Kahn says. “Talking, touching, and relating to each other is essential to our well-being. The bottom line is that we do not outgrow our need for others.”

A typical American, regardless of age, has a personal network that includes 8 to 11 close friends or relatives. Certainly, there are losses as you age—mainly through death, changes in residence, and retirement. But most of these lost relationships are replaced by others. In fact, filling the social gaps in your life is vital for healthy aging, according to Dr. Kahn.

Older Americans who get strong emotional support—expressions of affection, respect, liking, and encouragement—from their circles of friends are more physically active and mentally alert, he explains. Intimacy appears to lower the risk of arthritis, depression, and alcoholism among people over 60. And people—including seniors—who say that they have strong social support also need less pain medication after surgery, recover faster, and follow their doctors’ orders more faithfully. Here are a few things that Dr. Kahn suggests to widen your social circle.

• Dive into your community. Help out at your local library. Tutor at an elementary school. Volunteering is an excellent way to meet interesting people.

• Get a part-time job. Even if you don’t need the money, the social contacts that you’ll make with your co-workers can be priceless.

• Hang out in places where you are likely to meet people who share your interests. Churches, museums, flea markets, and bookstores are good starting points.

• Accept every invitation you can to social events like parties, graduations, and weddings.

• At a party, recreation center, or other gathering, make a conscious effort to meet new people. After you introduce yourself to someone, try to keep the conversation focused on that person’s interests. You’ll probably make a new friend.

• Pamper a pet. Caring for dogs, cats, and other pets has been shown to help many older people live longer, and animals are an instant icebreaker among strangers.

• If you have difficulty getting out, call your local geriatric social service agency or area agency on aging and ask for a list of others who are interested in developing a network of phone pals. If the organizations in your area haven’t started such a list, volunteer your services to get one going.

Believe in Yourself

Self-doubt can erode your sense of independence. “If you’re feeling insecure and incapable of coping effectively in the world, I think it really will begin to adversely affect your mind and body,” says Elizabeth R. Mackenzie, Ph.D, director of the Wellness, Healing, and Ongoing Learning for Elders (WHOLE) program at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. WHOLE is designed to include exercise and fitness programs, gardening projects, arts and music therapy, and education classes aimed at promoting health, boosting self-worth, and helping seniors stay connected to the world around them.

Believing in yourself and feeling that you can successfully do things is vital to staying mentally sharp, Dr. Kahn says. Seniors who have a strong sense of self-efficacy—a can-do approach to tasks or challenges—are more likely to view memory as something that can be learned and improved. The belief that memory is controllable encourages them to make an effort to do things like playing mental exercises and games that strengthen recall. Without this sense of self-efficacy, you may accept memory loss as a normal part of aging and let memories slip away without a fight, he says.

But there are plenty of ways that you can restore your self-confidence and regain your motivation to keep your mind sharp as you age, explains Dr. Mackenzie. Here’s how.

• Take an adult education class. Whether the subject is French, calligraphy, or dancing, the classroom is a great place to learn new skills that will boost your self-confidence and improve your memory. Plus, classes are a wonderful way to meet new people.

• Involve yourself in activities that include people of all ages. Join a hiking club, become a foster grandparent, or participate in a public-speaking group like Toastmasters. You’ll probably discover that not only do you have wisdom to share but also you can still do some things as well as or even better than younger people.

• Do at least one new thing a month. Go to a museum, attend a lecture at a local college, eat at a new restaurant, or walk through a different neighborhood. The bottom line is that monotony destroys optimism and ultimately undermines your mental health.

• Spend a moment each day to take a fresh look at something in nature and marvel at it. Observing nature will help you get in touch with your spirituality—reminding you that you are part of a larger whole—and can spark hope for your future.

• Meditation, contemplation, or prayer can help you cleanse out of your body anxiety, hopelessness, depression, and other negative emotions associated with disease.

• Keep a journal and every day write down at least 20 wonderful things that happen to you. Even small things, such as finding a dollar under the sofa, count. Doing this regularly will help you feel more positive about yourself and life in general. This, in turn, will make you more likely to take on new challenges, keeping your brain active.

• Adopt a plant. Houseplants make people feel calmer, more optimistic, and more self-assured. So starting a garden or tending to a houseplant may help you forget problems, boost your self-worth, and improve your health.