I have learned through the years how crucial it is to keep your mind sharp. While enjoyable brain exercises in retirement are not just good for mental health; they can be great fun too! My friend James will tell you it was learning to play a musical instrument he found most rewarding and Tristan fell in love with photography. Mentally engaging activities for seniors helped us enhance our memory better, keep us active all the time.
The importance of keeping engaged in retirement
Before we dive into the activities, I want to briefly let you know why it is so important that retiree continue to engage their brains. After having retired and no longer facing all the challenges of work, life can become boring, it can also cause us to stall mentally when we do not seek out a new way in which to train our brains.
Fortunately, the brain is like a muscle which only gets stronger by using it. Regular mental exercise can help ward off cognitive decline, helps with memory loss and even makes us feel better mentally. The best part is that these exercises can be fun and incredibly rewarding.
If you are like us and want to keep your mind busy in a fun way as well, I will share some ideas that have worked!
Picture Perfect: Taking Photography Through a Fresh Lens
This has been my personal favourite brain exercise for retirees. The point is not just to capture shots but see the world from a different perspective and staying focus. Photography also counts as some intellectual past-time for my friend Tristan. A study by the University of Texas found that people who took on new hobbies like photography, for example experienced a noticeable boost in cognitive function.
You can boost creativity and keep your brain more active by starting with the camera of your smartphone. The challenge involved with finding the right light, angle and composition makes photography a perfect mental exercise.
Learn a Musical Instrument
My friend, James started playing guitar after he retired. Learning an instrument was the equivalent to solving a puzzle and that mental challenge is what he found daunting. A study conducted by Aston University concluded that learning an instrument enhances memory and cognitive flexibility.
Playing an instrument engages both sides of the brain, improving memory, coordination, and concentration. Whether it can be guitar, whether piano or even the harmonica and so on it’s a great way to keep your brain in shape while having fun.
Attend a Language Exchange Meet Up
Practising conversational skills at a language exchange meet-up is a fantastic way to engage your brain while meeting new people. Unlike formal language learning, these meet-ups allow you to practice real-life conversations, improving both your language skills and cognitive flexibility. Language exchange groups, like Tandem or local meet-ups, offer seniors the chance to communicate in new languages, sharpen listening skills, and build confidence.
Volunteer Your Time
One of the most rewarding brain exercises for retired person you can do is volunteering. It lets you not only be altruistic but gives the brain some exercise too. According to the findings of an Age UK research, volunteering can help slow down cognitive decline and enhance mood and social interactions in seniors.
I have volunteered at local charities and found it to be a productive challenge. Each new task, like mentoring or organizing events or helping out at a food bank gives your brain something fresh to tackle.
Join a Toastmasters Group
Public speaking has even more amazing mental benefits. My good friend Robert ended up going to a Toastmasters group because he wanted to get better at speaking and thinking quickly on his feet. Dr. Michael Ramscar believes public speaking sharpens cognitive flexibility and memory, according to his report.
Preparing speeches, off-the-cuff thinking and feedback were both challenging to Robert initially as they did not come naturally to him.
Play Sudoku or Puzzles
One of my daily brain workouts is Sudoku. Another friend, Jan spends time playing Sudoku each morning to keep the mind active. Cambridge University studies show that puzzle solving boosts memory and cognitive skills.
Sudoku puzzles make you think logically and keep your focus, a simple yet powerful brain exercise. There are infinite puzzle apps available, or you can start the old-fashioned way, with a Sudoku book.
Blog or Write Your Memoirs
It is one of the great brain stimulating activities for seniors. Writing helps prevent memory loss and increase critical thinking involvement, whether writing a blog or your life story. I created my own blog to write about life in retirement and it has been a great way to feed my mind. A study by Aston University found writing has benefits for mental agility and clarity.
You have the opportunity to reflect, work your thoughts out and be creative in writing. This is an excellent option for those looking to leave behind a digital legacy as well as establish and strengthen relationships online.
Play Chess or Strategy Games
Playing chess is one of the oldest and best brain activities for older people. You have to think for hours, plan and strategise. Tom explained how he recently began playing some chess on the internet and “wow, what great mental exercise it has been” he said. As found by Harvard Health, strategy games like chess develop memory and problem-solving skills.
There are other strategy games like scrabble or bridge or even Civilization that require constant thinking to advance your game if chess is too daunting.
Research Your Family Tree
Genealogy offers a stimulating way to keep in touch with our roots and gives the brain both exercise (memory) and research. Websites like Ancestry uk and Findmypast makes it easy to trace your family history. As per Harvard Health, it sharpens your memory, improves critical and analytical thinking as well encourages an eye for detail
My cousin Ty has spent countless hours researching our family tree and he absolutely loves it. “Every finding makes me faster and better at concentrating, memorizing things or figuring out a puzzle” he said.
Stay sharp and follow us!
You should keep your brain mentally healthy. Relish every bit of time by adding these enjoyable brain exercises for seniors to your daily schedule and you will understand how not only keeping yourself engaged works but also that it is fulfilling. Whether that is seeking out to learn about photography like Roger, playing some instrument as Alan does or even joining a Toastmasters group will enable Robert to keep his mind alive and alert.
In addition, remember to also stay physically fit. Read our article on Retirement Fitness Advice: 7 Ways to Stay Healthy and Happy.
Well, what have you been doing to keep your mind sharp? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below to share them with our community.
So let us all support each other on this road to living sharp, alive and connected! Ready to be part of RetireFulfilled Community, taking charge of your mental health in retirement?
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About the Author:
Article is written by Grace Ogunjobi and Dr Fausat Oladipo.
Dr. Fausat Oladipo, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, is a board-certified Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with background in intensive care and expertise in mental health care for US veterans and the elderly. She is also passionate about cognitive health and purposeful living.
