Naturally, in our culture, most people associate September with “back to school” / learning time. If you are a life-long learner, as I am, you probably still get that sense of calling toward learning something new and fresh as fall sets in our midst.
In neuroscience, it’s been well established that learning is part of what stimulates new neural pathways in the brain across the whole lifespan. Dr. Daniel Siegel has identified the 5 major ways in which we can keep stimulating new neural pathways. I have created an acronym – REANA – to help you remember these ways of keeping your brain thriving:
R – Repetition – as when we repeat an action to learn it, whether learning a piece of music on an instrument or any other kind of skill we want to master.
E – Emotional arousal – as when we are excited, turned on or in love which surely makes us feel fully alive.
A – Aerobic exercise – Movement of all sorts activates the brain and increases its blood flow. Interestingly, it’s been found that during infant stage, movement such as being rocked fosters brain development.
N – Novelty – Ever noticed that all your senses are highly stimulated when you go on a trip to a foreign country? Being exposed to new environments and new people is highly stimulating to the brain which contributes to its development.
A – Attention – when we train ourselves to sustain our attention on what we are engaged in, we are flexing this inner brain muscle or faculty enabling us to focus well for extended periods. Remember that, like any other skill, if we don’t use it, we tend to lose it.
Why not make of this fall an engaging, learning journey? I remember that many years ago, in September, I took a jewelry making workshop. This turned into a life-long passion that has served to make awesome gifts and to adorn me with beautiful semi-precious gemstones. I hope you unleash your curiosity and eagerness and to learn; enjoy something that will capture your attention in wondrous, timeless ways.
