What do you usually do to take a break from writing code or studying programming theory? Do you swipe your feed on social networks, watch TV series or go to training? It’s different for everyone, but there is an opinion that the best rest is a change of activity. And in order not only to relax, but also to train your brain (yes, this can also happen), we have selected several activities that will help you switch from programming and at the same time improve your mental abilities. In order not to be unfounded, we supported our list of activities with scientific research;)
Music
Why does music help so much to take your mind off your worries? Because listening to it involves experiencing various emotions, which help you switch from work to these emotions. If you don’t just listen, but learn to play an instrument, new neural connections will develop in the brain - this is useful both for the development of intelligence and for the health of our brain. What can I say, being able to play an instrument is just great.
Research suggests that music training not only develops individual areas of the brain, but also improves communication between them - which has a positive effect on verbal memory, spatial reasoning and even literacy skills. And professional musicians tend to outperform non-musicians in these skills, The Guardian writes , citing neuroscientist Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster. Recent work by scientists shows that music training speeds up the recovery of people who have suffered a stroke, and can also improve information comprehension in children with dyslexia and other language disorders. There is also evidence that musical training in childhood protects against the development of cognitive impairment and dementia later in life.
Reading
It would seem, how could reading end up on this list? It would seem that nothing could be simpler. But no, for our brain this is a complex process. Regular reading really trains his different zones. When we read, the primary visual cortex, motor cortex, angular gyrus and other areas are activated: all this happens in order to convert the words we read into a picture in our head and an understanding of the meaning of the text. It is known that thirty minutes of reading a day reduces, for example, the risk of developing Alzheimer's in healthy patients over forty-five years of age by almost a third (research from Tel Aviv University, Israel). By regularly “turning on” neurons and synapses in the areas of the brain involved in the reading process, we maintain the functions for which they are responsible. These include attention and memory. They are the ones who suffer first in old age if they are not trained. Besides training your neurons, reading can be a great way to relax. In one experiment at the University of Sussex (UK), a group of volunteers were first artificially increased their stress levels, then offered several relaxation methods, and then again measured their stress levels (the indicators were heart rate and muscle tension). Ways of relaxation included reading books, listening to music, playing a video game, walking, or drinking a cup of tea or coffee. Reading turned out to be the most effective - it reduced stress levels by 68%, despite the fact that the subjects spent only 6 minutes reading the book. Now try to remember how long ago you read a fiction book, rather than technical documentation or news?
Chess
The recently released series on Netflix, “The Queen's Gambit,” about a brilliant chess player, has revived people's waning interest in chess. But even if we put aside mainstream culture, chess is exciting, interesting and useful.
One of the key skills that chess provides is the ability to think consistently. Everything that happens on the board during the game is not an accident, and victory in a duel goes to the one who knows how to think through his moves, and does not just play at random. The game allows you to simultaneously use logical and abstract thinking. The player has to think through steps ahead, build hypothetical options for the development of events. During a game, a person simultaneously uses operational and long-term memory. Few activities can cause these states. Maximum load affects mental abilities in the most favorable way.
Run
"For every big decision I've made over the past eight years, I've run first," director Casey Neistat told Runner's World.
After a good run, the human brain actually thinks better. And there is a scientific explanation for this fact. Changes after jogging were recorded in the frontal lobes of the brain. Increased activity in these areas is observed after people adopt long-term physical activity habits. After 30 to 40 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, researchers saw an increase in blood flow to this area, which is associated with forward planning, attention and focus, goal setting and time management. It also turned out that running affects the regulation of emotions, including reducing anxiety and stress. Running training helps you to be in a state of awareness “here and now,” observing your own sensations in the body. Have you noticed that it is much easier to solve a problem with a “fresh mind”? That is, while jogging, we train the body, and the brain stops thinking about work. It is this kind of abstraction that can subsequently help solve a complex programming problem.
Meditation
Apple founder Steve Jobs practiced mindfulness meditation for many years. “If you sit down and just watch yourself, you will discover how restless your mind is. And when you try to calm him down, the situation will only get worse. If after some time the mind calms down, the subtlest things will be revealed to you. Your intuition will sharpen, your vision will become clearer, you will be able to feel yourself in the present moment of time - here and now. Your thoughts will slow down, your consciousness will expand, and you will see immeasurably more than before.” This is how Steve Jobs described the effect of meditation to his biographer Walter Isaacson. Today, the positive effects of meditation are proven by neuroscience, and giants such as Google, General Mills, Target and Ford specifically train their employees in much the same meditation that Jobs discovered decades ago. Thanks to regular meditation practice, you will get rid of stress, insomnia, and begin to think more clearly. In addition, meditation is something that does not require any resources other than 10-15 minutes of free time. What activities do you prefer to take your mind off programming? Share in the comments ;)
By regularly “turning on” neurons and synapses in the areas of the brain involved in the reading process, we maintain the functions for which they are responsible. These include attention and memory. They are the ones who suffer first in old age if they are not trained. Besides training your neurons, reading can be a great way to relax. In one experiment at the University of Sussex (UK), a group of volunteers were first artificially increased their stress levels, then offered several relaxation methods, and then again measured their stress levels (the indicators were heart rate and muscle tension). Ways of relaxation included reading books, listening to music, playing a video game, walking, or drinking a cup of tea or coffee. Reading turned out to be the most effective - it reduced stress levels by 68%, despite the fact that the subjects spent only 6 minutes reading the book. Now try to remember how long ago you read a fiction book, rather than technical documentation or news?
Today, the positive effects of meditation are proven by neuroscience, and giants such as Google, General Mills, Target and Ford specifically train their employees in much the same meditation that Jobs discovered decades ago. Thanks to regular meditation practice, you will get rid of stress, insomnia, and begin to think more clearly. In addition, meditation is something that does not require any resources other than 10-15 minutes of free time. What activities do you prefer to take your mind off programming? Share in the comments ;)
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