When there is a lack of socialization in your life, it has an effect on how your brain develops. In some cases, the effects are so detrimental that they can delay brain development, especially in the early years of life. Without enough social relationships, you may start experiencing changes in your behavior, mood and the overall health of your brain. Other negative effects of a lack of social interaction may include:
Poor self-esteem
Depression
Losing touch with reality
Decreased learning abilities
Decreased sense of empathy
Increased risk of developing dementia
Reduced resilience
Physical manifestations such as inflammation, an increased risk of developing tumors, and even a shortened lifespan.
With all the adverse effects of poor social skills on the health of your brain and on your brain's neuroplasticity, you may want to start performing interpersonal or social exercises. These exercises are simple and easy to perform, and provide your brain with a lot of benefits. Here are some interpersonal exercises you can start off with:
Talk to strangers: Although we teach children to avoid talking to strangers, having interactions with people you don't know can be beneficial to your brain now that you are an adult.
Read out loud with your partner: This exercise is fun. It makes your relationships stronger and your brain healthier. Choose a book that you know you will both enjoy, then you can start reading out loud to each other.
Take a hitchhiker for a ride with you: For safety reasons, this is only advisable if you're not driving alone on a deserted highway. Allowing a stranger to ride with you opens up the possibility of getting to know a new friend who has tons of stories to share.
Volunteer: This is an excellent way for you to interact with others while supporting something you believe in. Volunteering helps you meet new people, interact with them and share common ground with them.
Write letters to others: Writing letters has become a dying art. But this doesn't mean that you shouldn't start this habit. This is an excellent way to share your feelings with others in a more eloquent way.
Play with children: Have you ever noticed how children play? They don't restrict themselves, and they seldom play by the rules. Spending some time with children during play is a refreshing experience that will strengthen your mind in many different ways.
Join networking events and meet at least 10 people: No matter where you work, you will have the chance to attend networking events. Take these as an opportunity to meet new people and interact with them outside of work.
Join an acting class: Even if you're not interested in becoming an actor, this is a great way to meet new people and strengthen your social skills.
Do some acts of random kindness: These acts won't just improve your neuroplasticity, they will also make you feel better about yourself. There's a special kind of satisfaction that comes with helping others, and it is even more fulfilling when the other person expresses his gratitude towards you.
Hug people for no reason: Hugs are powerful things. The physical contact you share with another person has several health benefits.
Talk to people who are older than you: These people have wisdom and experiences that they can share with you. In addition to having meaningful conversations, you can also learn new things along the way.
Interact with your pets: People aren't the only ones you can have interactions with. Show some love to your furry friends as well if you want to improve your mental health.
As you can see, there are many interpersonal exercises you can perform to improve your cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity. The key is to challenge yourself socially by doing things that are out of your comfort zone. Here are some other examples of exercises you may do:
Travel to a place you haven't been before.
Learn something new with your friends.
Challenge your own words and ideas by starting a conversation with other people.
Try being spontaneous when you're faced with social situations.
Mix up how you think and how you do things.
Interact with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers with an open mind.
Try to understand the thoughts and perspectives of other people as you interact with them.
Focus more on your real-life social network instead of your online social network.
Strengthen your relationships by investing time, effort and authenticity with the people in your life.
Join a dance class, a yoga class or some other kind of fitness class that can enhance your physical and mental health.
Exercises of Movement and Sensory Stimulation
In addition to interpersonal skills, motor skills can also help increase your neuroplasticity. Stimulating your brain through movement and sensory experiences may help form new connections and strengthen old ones. In one particular study, researchers found out how neuroplasticity that involves the structural reorganization of the brain occurred as a result of motor skill learning (Dayan & Cohen, Neuroplasticity subserving motor skill learning, 2011). The findings of this study demonstrated both structural and functional plasticity across various temporal and spatial scales that mediated motor skill learning.
In another study, researchers focused on the role neuroplasticity played in the motor rehabilitation of patients who suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS) (Lipp & Tomassini, Neuroplasticity and Motor Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis, 2015). They investigated the different types of treatments for this condition, and found that learning more about the neural processes (such as neuroplasticity) may help in the potential recovery of motor functions of such patients. These studies and others show how important motor skills and neuroplasticity are to each other.
Of course, movement stimulation isn't the only thing that may have a positive impact on neuroplasticity. Sensory stimulation and sensory deprivation have the potential to increase neuroplasticity as well. There is growing evidence that suggests that sensory deprivation can promote neuroplasticity (Merabet & Pascual-Leone, Neural Reorganization Following Sensory Loss: The Opportunity Of Change, 2010). In one particular study that focused on auditory and visual deprivation, researchers found that the brains of the subjects had to cope with the sensory loss, and that neuroplasticity occurred as a result.
Basically, the principle behind this study and many others is that neuroplasticity occurs during sensory deprivation. The brain undergoes continuous alteration of its neural synapses and pathways as a response to stimulation or deprivation that may have been caused by injury or experience. These findings show how important exercises are to promote neuroplasticity. If you want neuroplasticity to occur in your own brain, you may want to try these exercises out:
● Close your eyes.
When you're performing a task that's part of your routine, try closing your eyes while doing it. This opens you up to new sensations that stimulate your brain. For instance, while you're taking a shower, close your eyes. Feel the droplets of water as they meet your skin. Experience the warmth of the water, the smell of the soap, the steam enveloping you and more. You can feel all of these sensations better when you deprive your body of your sense of sight merely by closing your eyes.
● Use both hands.
One way to challenge yourself and your brain is to use both hands when you're performing tasks. This gives you a new experience of something that you're used to doing differently. For instance, if you're used to sweeping the floor or chopping vegetables with your right hand, try switching it up by using your left hand. Even simple activities such as this can improve your neuroplasticity if you make the most of them. Another thing you can do is to try writing with your non-dominant hand. When you practice this exercise, you might even discover that you can be ambidextrous!
● Change your routines.
This exercise allows you to have new experiences each and every day. Although following the same routine each day may strengthen the connections in your
brain, changing your routines can help your brain create new connections. You don't have to change routines daily, all you have to do is switch it up once in a while to encourage the creation of these new connections.
● Take new paths.
Traveling and exploring are exercises that promote neuroplasticity. When you do them, you are able to see new things, have new experiences and meet new people. You don't even have to book a trip to explore or travel. You can do something as simple as taking a new path to work or to your child's school.
● Try new dishes.
This is one exercise that a lot of people enjoy immensely. Eating is a rich experience for all the different senses. So when you try something that's totally new to you, it's like feeding your senses as well as your brain.
● Be the passenger.
Most of the time we're so caught up in getting from one place to another that we aren't able to enjoy the drive. Instead of always being the one who takes people places, try taking the backseat for a change. As you enjoy the view, you can look around, talk to the other people in the car, and not worry about having to keep your eyes on the road all the time.
● Learn how to play an instrument.
Learning a new skill is always great for your brain. No matter what that skill is, the learning process helps your brain out in a huge way. And if you try to learn how to play an instrument, you're also learning a valuable skill that you may use in the future.
● Learn how to type using all of your fingers.
These days, a lot of people have jobs that involve typing and using the computer. Even while you work, you can improve your neuroplasticity by learning how to type with all 10 of your fingers. This improves your memory and concentration, and also makes you a faster typer!
● Start growing a garden.
Plants are an amazing part of our world. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors and fragrances. Growing your own garden involves a lot of different skills and experiences. From the time you plant the seeds to the time they grow and bloom, there is a lot to discover. The best part about growing a garden is that you can choose which plants to grow. And as you work on your plants, you're also spending some quality time outdoors in the fresh air.
● Move your furniture around.
Think about how you can reorganize your space by moving the furniture around. This task already gets your brain moving, all by itself. Then, as you start the process of actually moving your furniture around, your brain starts working even more as you see whether your plans will work or not. From the planning to the movements, there are many processes involved in something as simple as moving furniture.
As you can see, motor and sensory exercises and stimulation are so simple that doing them is a breeze. But as simple as these exercises are, they do help you forge new connections, pathways and synapses in your brain that make it stronger than ever.
Mental Exercises
Mental exercises are also important for cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity. Since both of these phenomena occur in the brain, it's only logical that performing mental exercises increases them and promotes their occurrence. Without these exercises, your brain will start shrinking as the neurons and neural connections that aren't being used will start to fade away.
We've already established how recent research provides evidence of how our brains can keep on changing and growing, even as adults. But it is important to always provide your brain with opportunities to do both. We've already discussed interpersonal, motor, and sensory exercises, so now let's look at the cognitive side of things.
You may have heard the saying "use it or lose it." This perfectly applies to our brains and the importance of exercising them regularly. When neuroplasticity was first discovered, researchers found that we don't have to succumb to the effects of brain aging and deterioration. As long as we provide our brains with the proper stimuli, we can keep them healthy while encouraging their growth and development.
The concept itself is quite simple. As you improve on your skills, acquire new abilities or have new thoughts and experiences, the brain adapts to these by changing chemically, functionally and structurally. When you try to learn new things to improve yourself, your brain advances as well. So let's take a look at some types of mental exercises that you can do to help improve your neuroplasticity and cognitive flexibility:
● Go back to school.
As soon as we graduate from high school or college, most of us leave this world behind. But if you have the resources, why don't you go back to school to learn a whole new course? Not only will this give you an edge over others professionally, but it will also promote the health of your brain.
● Learn a new language.
This is one exercise that is commonly suggested when it comes to improving oneself. Learning a new language is very useful, no matter how you look at it. If you plan to travel to a different country, why don't you try learning their language first? The more languages you know, the easier it will be for you to communicate with people from all over the world. And as you learn, you form connections in your brain to make it richer and help it grow.
● Talk to others about their hobbies.
Learning about the hobbies of others is a lot like starting these hobbies yourself. For instance, if you ask someone about a hobby they're really interested in, chances are, they will talk about this hobby in great length. For you, it will sort of be like learning all about a new hobby that you never really imagined you'd want to learn about in the first place! Also, when someone talks passionately about their hobbies, this might make you feel interested enough to make them your hobbies too.
● Read non-fiction books.
Although fiction books are much more interesting to read, non-fiction books are extremely valuable too. These books contain a wealth of information about the real world. Reading non-fiction books can be very interesting and enlightening. And as your brain works to understand the information in these books, it is also forming new connections and pathways that make it healthier and stronger.
● Keep a journal or diary.
This is an excellent exercise to promote neuroplasticity and cognitive flexibility. When you keep a journal or a diary, this forces you to think about your day, your interactions, your emotions and your thoughts in a more profound way. As you write down the words, you're also recalling the things that happened and how they made you feel.
● Switch up your audiovisual habits.
It's never a good idea to do the same thing over and over again. Watching the same shows and listening to the same music won't do anything for your mind. Instead, you may want to switch these habits up once in a while. This doesn't mean that you should stop watching the shows or listening to music that you love. Just open yourself up to new material that you might learn from, or that you might end up enjoying too.
● Sign up for an online course.
If you don't have the time or the patience to go back to school, the next best thing is to sign up for an online course. Nowadays, there are so many online courses available, and you can choose one that you're really interested in. The important thing is to start learning new things to enrich your mind and your life.
● Ask a lot of questions.
This is one of the best ways to learn new things and to understand the perspectives of other people. When you ask a lot of questions, you also end up learning a lot of new information. Whether you're in school or you're simply having a conversation with someone else, asking a lot of questions broadens your mind and makes you a wiser person.
● Challenge yourself when you're faced with simple decisions.
In situations where you're faced with simple choices, challenge yourself by choosing neither. Then justify this choice by explaining to yourself why you chose neither of the obvious choices. This exercise helps you look at things from different perspectives. It also helps you learn how to think of alternative solutions to a problem that, at first glance, seems extremely simple.
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�� Create extreme associations when you're trying to remember things.
This is a fun exercise that you can do no matter where you are. When you know that you should remember details about a certain person, object or situation, create extreme associations to help you remember these things. Create pictures in your mind that are so extreme that you won't ever forget them!
There really are a lot of mental exercises you can do to keep your mind sharp. When it comes to such exercises, the important thing is to do things that make you think, and that challenge your previous thoughts and beliefs. After some time, you can start thinking of your own exercises to challenge your mind and make it grow.
Final Thoughts on Exercises to Improve Cognitive Flexibility and Neuroplasticity
In this chapter, we learned more about the relationship between cognitive flexibility and neuroplasticity. We discussed the different studies that provide evidence to support both phenomena. There have been several studies and research conducted that focus on the importance of performing exercises to promote neuroplasticity in the brain. These exercises are easy to do, but they provide a lot of incredible benefits.
So how do you apply this information to your life? We have gone through some of the best exercises you can use. Try performing these exercises daily and you're sure to see an improvement in your sharpness and the way you think. Of course, there are other concepts you have yet to learn. But when you start off with these exercises, you will be starting your journey towards changing your life for the better.
PART 3: CONQUERING TRAUMA AND PTSD THROUGH NEUROPLASTICITY
“Among other things, neuroplasticity means that emotions such as happiness and compassion can be cultivated in much the same way that a person can learn through repetition to play golf and basketball, or master a musical instrument, and that such practice changes the activity and physical aspects of specific brain areas.”
Neuroplasticity Page 6