Brain exercise

Few months ago, I went to Eslite bookstore to relax and read some books there. I’ve attended the cultivated trainings held by the volunteering program which the host taught us how to tell a story, so I read some picture books and hoped that one day I could be richer to buy them because they really cost a lot. Later I walked around the store, seeing a section showing the latest bestselling books. What drew my attention were a couple of books which were about brain. I’m always interested in how people work their brains, develop the potential abilities, and also worried that I will be a fool because I like watching TV and movies which don’t require me to exercise my brain. Therefore, I picked up one of them, which was called “Brain exercise” to read. The more I read that book, the more I wanted to finished that because the articles were very useful which I even wanted to make it my RP topic (but at last I didn’t because I have to read many biological terms if I choose it to be my topic, haha)!

I find that sometimes I tend to forget what I’m going to say, but actually those words just came up a few seconds ago and I can’t remember any one. The reason I figure out could be that I’m short of logic sense, which means that I have lots things in mind and I want to express them at the same time without any organization because sometimes they are non-related. Therefore, I speak of one thing and then forget any others. There is one chapter dealing with this problem, which doesn’t prove my own theory to be right. The author, who is a brain doctor, writes that modern people like to indulge themselves in computers and TV for a long time without a short break. The mass may consider that watching TV news and searching information on the Internet can broaden their horizons and become erudite. “However,” the author notes, “keeping our eyes on the little monitors for such a long while will cause our brains to be rigid, not work harder which would cause people to suffer from illness like Alzheimer when they get old.” He suggests that we should move our eyes to other objects like views outside to exercise them by observing trees, pedestrians, and so forth, which makes the brains work and rest ourselves as well. The doctor also writes that one of the reasons for people to often forget what we want to share with others is that we don’t pay enough attention to the messages. “People should be aware of things they want to share, namely we have to keep things in mind by asking our brains to work, not just “see” something, and we will find that we know more and have more to talk.”

Another chapter is talking about how to warm up our brains in the morning when we just get up. The author explains, “If we want to be more efficient on the works, we can do some warm-up activities such as taking a walk, sprinkling flowers, cleaning the beds, which are all mild works to awaken brains because we can’t ask our brains and body to work well as soon as we get up.” After the simple exercise on our brains, we can be more energetic to do other works which are more complicated. Copying and reading the text like editorials out loud are other ways to warm up. Declaiming, according to the doctor, helps people work their eyes and brains together, and we do copying to work eyes, brains and hands together. People can also know more by doing these two activities.

The author then writes in one chapter to explain that our brains cannot be very productive in anytime; there is a summit or the best time for brains to work well which is often in the morning for general people. The solution he suggests for some who have to work after the summit time, is warm up first by doing copying or declaiming, and then set a time for alerting ourselves that we should finish this work by the limited time, which is like taking an important exam in our lives, to fasten our thinking and at the same time to be efficient. He is not telling us to do everything in a rush, and eventually get a whole mess on the task. The doctor here is helping those like me, who always fool around when doing the work and spend a whole day on just ONE assignment, to save the time and have more free time to do many other meaningful matters.

What I mention above are all the methods and suggestions which prevent people from coming down with Alzheimer disease and know how to work their brains better. But we have to realize that all of the beneficial activities can be performed well ONLY base on one rule: work and rest regularly. The most productive time for normal people must be in the morning, if we go to the bed and get up early. It’s the basic habit for keeping people under a good condition, but it’s also the most difficult habit for people to make since there are many activities held in night such as some good movies and TV programs that are often broadcasted at 11 p.m., and we students like burn the midnight oil to do our homework.

I do want to quit many bad habits like going to the bed late at night, having few ideas when working, or forgetting what I’m going to say. Therefore, I follow the suggestions the doctor give, trying my best to do them all. I force myself to sleep early before 12 o’clock and get up as early as I can, which is often around 8 a.m., and then do copying to awaken my brain. Actually, I don’t know whether the efficiency when I’m doing the homework or studying is improved or not, but I feel happy and healthy that I have the regular daily schedule, absorbing information every day by writing something down and bearing what I like in mind. In addition, I get the sense of fulfillment that I succeed in carrying out my plans which makes me energetic a whole day. This decision I made let me realize deeply that changing is really painful, especially when we are quitting bad habits and I know I feel so proud is because what I’m doing is what many other students cannot do. The further wish I make is that I hope I can always be a practician, not giving up in the middle way like before.