You certainly know that the human mind has amazing abilities. But sometimes, someone is already stuck in a rigid or narrow mindset and finds it difficult to change it. Do not worry. Indeed, the human mindset is a very dynamic and flexible tool so that it can always be developed in a better direction. To do this, try looking at the world around you from a new perspective. In addition, view knowledge as a science that you should not stop learning, and do not hesitate to enrich the experience by doing new things. Make sure you also carry a healthy lifestyle, yes!
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Method 1 of 4: Building a New Mindset
Step 1. Build awareness and engage yourself more deeply with the sensations, feelings, and nuances that are around you
Doing so can also improve the quality of memory and strengthen the power of your mind.
- Try doing self-awareness meditation. Sit in a quiet place for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. After that, focus your mind on all the sensations that are captured by your body, such as the sound of the air conditioner or the sensation of the chair you are sitting in. Try to capture every detail, even the very minor ones.
- When eating something, chew the food at a slow pace. While chewing, feel the texture, taste, and sensation of the food you consume.
- If you're in a public place, take a few minutes to be aware of all the details around you, such as falling leaves, the decorations of the building in front of you, or the movement of people around you.
- At school or work, try the grounding technique. Take a minute to become aware of everything you're feeling, such as the chair you're sitting on or the table top your hands are resting on.
Step 2. Build a positive mindset about the world around you
When faced with problems or obstacles, try to keep building an optimistic mindset. Remember, positive thinking and colored with love, creativity, and happiness will keep your body and mind at peace. Meanwhile, negative thoughts such as fear, jealousy, hatred, and anger will trigger the emergence of sadness, stress, or anxiety.
- If all this time you tend to think negatively about many things, don't necessarily force yourself to always think positively. Instead, move to a neutral mindset first as you slowly hone your positivity.
- Every morning, talk to yourself in the mirror. Make sure you only say positive things like, "Today will definitely be better than yesterday" or "I can definitely have a good day today!"
- Quotes, posters, cups, or other reminders that contain motivational sentences can also keep your mind positivity in going through the day. Therefore, feel free to leave a note containing a positive sentence or quote in your wallet or on your desk.
- The benefits of positive thinking are prolonging life, reducing stress, strengthening psychological health, and increasing the ability to respond to various difficult situations.
Step 3. Identify your bias
Be careful, having a bias can make you constantly justify something that is actually wrong. To overcome this, identify your bias first. Observe your thoughts, feelings, and actions, then question the reasons behind them and challenge any assumptions that come to your mind.
- For example, your emerging bias might lead you to glorify your success but have a hard time taking responsibility for your mistakes. For example, you're more likely to blame your teacher or professor for getting a bad score on a test, but glorify yourself if you get an A.
- Confirmation bias is a person's tendency to accept information that supports his or her opinion or belief. For example, you might ignore facts that don't support your political ideology.
- Sometimes, humans make decisions based on the results they achieve, not the logic of those decisions. Just because you won the lottery doesn't mean buying the lottery is a smart decision!
- Humans tend to think of themselves as no more biased than the people around them. This means that humans naturally have difficulty or tend to turn a blind eye to their cognitive bias.
Step 4. Listen to your intuition
Intuition is the inner voice that helps you to identify good and bad decisions. Therefore, do not ignore it and always involve intuition as a tool to make objective and reasoned decisions.
Involve intuition in making decisions, but don't rely solely on your intuition! For example, if you are interested in buying a new home, you are more likely to find one that has a more positive and pleasant “aura”. Try to identify the reason behind this intuition
Step 5. Remember, every human being can change
The human mind is a dynamic and flexible tool. Even if your current mindset feels stiff and/or narrow, understand that with the right motivation, your mind can grow and expand. Remind yourself that everyone, including you, has the right to do new activities, break old habits, and make changes to improve yourself.
Generally, it takes about 66 days to form a new habit or break an old one. Don't give up and keep trying! After a while, your body and mind will surely get used to it
Step 6. Understand the concept of working memory
Working memory is the part of the brain in charge of storing and processing pieces of information at a time. For example, if you are reading this sentence now, your brain is actually employing working memory to understand and digest the sentence. Are you aware that humans always read the sentences in front of them one by one, and sometimes stop to reread sentences that feel unclear? Thus, it can be concluded that human working memory processes information on a small scale. This means that forcing yourself to read faster and more than you really are capable of requires a higher ability to focus, especially since doing so will actually take a toll on your working memory.
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Chances are, most of you won't be able to absorb a lot of information or instructions at once. In other words, the instruction or information must be repeated several times to make it easier for your brain to digest. This situation is not strange due to the fact that the human brain can only process a limited amount of information at the same time. However, the limitations of everyone's brain capacity are not the same. Therefore, understand your limits so that your body and mind don't feel overwhelmed or exhausted.
- If you have to do something important, try sharpening your focus first. After that, take as much time as you can to go over each task you have to complete. Go through the process calmly and not in a hurry. Once your working memory reaches sufficient power to capture information or connect with other parts of your brain, your speed of thinking and working will increase. But initially, the only thing you need to do is try to focus.
- Sort out the items on the table or in the room that risk distracting your focus.
- Give yourself plenty of time to make important life decisions.
Method 2 of 4: Learn and Grow
Step 1. Read books, stories and news every day
Reading is one of the best ways to enrich your knowledge, increase your empathy skills, and sharpen your awareness. Read any material you find! Read a book before going to bed at night, read the newspaper when you wake up in the morning, and read a poem or short story if you have limited time.
Fiction and non-fiction stories have the same benefits. Non-fiction stories can enrich your knowledge of events happening around you. Meanwhile, fiction can strengthen your empathy, imagination, and brain connectivity
Step 2. Write to sharpen your memory and problem solving skills
In fact, writing is a very effective tool to mature your mentality. In particular, writing can help you process your daily life better, analyze problems more wisely, and enrich your creativity. Therefore, try to keep a special journal that you can use to record events that you have experienced, or to hone your fiction writing skills. If you run into a problem, try writing it down and see if that method can help you find a solution.
- A gratitude journal is a very powerful tool to motivate you to be more diligent in writing and to mature your mind. Every day, write down 1 thing you are grateful for. Trust me, afterwards you will definitely feel more positive and confident!
- If you want to share your thoughts with more people, try blogging. In these blogs, other people can leave comments and give you a new perspective.
Step 3. Ask questions when faced with something new
Asking powerful questions enriches your knowledge of new factual details, while challenging your perspective on the world. When faced with something new, don't be shy about asking questions you don't understand! If no one else can answer your question, find the answer yourself.
- Also ask questions about yourself and other people. What are the reasons behind the things you do? Why do you believe in or enjoy something?
- Try compiling a list of 50 questions. If there's been something you've always wanted to know or question, try writing it down. Also take a look at the room around you and think about what the manufacturing process or how a particular object looks like. After that, answer all the questions.
Step 4. Try putting together a puzzle or doing other games that can sharpen your brain's intelligence
Like other parts of the body, your brain also needs to be trained, you know! Therefore, take the time to play brain-boosting games like Tetris, Sudoku, and puzzles, or try to solve mathematical problems. In addition to sharpening your brain, doing so is also effective in improving your memory, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
- Download apps to play puzzles or train your brain, and use them for at least 15 minutes a day to sharpen your critical thinking skills.
- Don't just try one type of game. If you only play Sudoku every day, chances are that your ability to put together a puzzle or solve a problem will not be as well honed.
Step 5. Do a scientific experiment in your home
Want to think like a scientist? Try doing simple experiments to increase your curiosity, critical thinking and scientific intelligence!
- For example, you could try making batteries from potatoes, dissecting nuts, or making plastic from milk.
- Make sure the experiments you do involve only simple and easy-to-find objects in everyday life. In other words, avoid experiments involving hazardous or flammable chemicals!
Method 3 of 4: Enriching Experience
Step 1. Get out of your comfort zone
If a person only tries things that feel familiar and comfortable to him, surely his mindset and perspective will not move anywhere. Therefore, don't hesitate to try new things that are outside your comfort zone! Although it will feel uncomfortable at first, understand that you will feel the benefits one day.
- Think of an activity that you've never tried before, but that always felt interesting to you. For example, don't hesitate to go scuba diving or take a helicopter ride if you've always wanted to do that.
- Everyone has their own fears. For example, you've probably always been breaking out in a cold sweat when you have to speak in public or stand at heights. If the fear isn't already a severe phobia, try identifying and confronting it! For example, get up the courage to speak at community gatherings or try rock climbing. If the fear is so intense that it makes it difficult for you to carry out daily activities, consult a trusted mental health professional immediately.
Step 2. Learn new abilities
In addition to enriching experience and knowledge, doing so is effective in maintaining brain sharpness as you age. Consider doing new things that you've always wanted to, but haven't had the time to try. If necessary, browse the internet for information on nearby skills classes, or online learning videos that you can access whenever you want.
- Some creative materials worth learning are how to paint, make clay crafts, make jewelry, or sew.
- Meanwhile, some examples of physical activities that are worth trying are swing dancing, joining a favorite sports club, or practicing yoga.
- Think of abilities that can make your life easier in the future. For example, learn how to do household chores, take a cooking class, or learn how to repair a car on your own.
Step 3. Expand the association
In fact, social relationships are a very important factor to help a person grow. New people will make a huge contribution to enriching your experiences, ideas and beliefs. Plus, they can challenge and/or expand your way of thinking.
- Therefore, there is no harm in joining a club or community that suits your interests. For example, you could join a board game club, an environmental group, or a knitting community.
- Don't be afraid to make friends with people who have different beliefs, cultural understandings, and lifestyles from yours. To meet such people, try attending a cultural festival, a particular religious celebration, or a parade.
- Join a sports club. Doing so will train you to perform better in a team.
Step 4. Travel to new places
In fact, traveling offers a variety of amazing benefits for the quality of one's open-mindedness. By traveling to a new and exciting city or country, you inevitably have to deal with new people, cultures, environments, and ways of thinking.
- To determine the right vacation spot, think about the things that interest you. For example, if you enjoy spending time with animals and nature, try visiting a nearby national park. If you are actually interested in historical issues, try visiting popular museums, historical buildings, or monuments.
- If your busy life isn't too busy, why not try visiting big cities like New York, London, or Tokyo? Of course you will need to save longer to make this happen, but trust me, the experience will surely enrich your horizons of knowledge and perspectives!
Step 5. Volunteer to help others who need your help
Make your existence useful, not only for yourself, but also for the community. In addition, volunteering can also improve your ability to empathize, socialize, and think. You will meet new people with different perspectives on life. From there, you will learn ways to solve problems that are useful to society.
- Look for organizations or charities that need volunteers in your area. Remember, choose the issues that you think are important!
- If you want, you can also volunteer at schools, community centers, animal shelters, or events taking place downtown.
Method 4 of 4: Building a Healthy Mindset
Step 1. Keep your productivity up throughout the day
Boredom will not only lower your energy levels, but it can also dull your mind. Therefore, encourage your body to do various activities throughout the day! If you have time to relax, stick to activities that can sharpen your brain, such as reading, playing puzzles, socializing, or making crafts.
- Of course, you can take a break to relax and do nothing. For example, no one forbids you to watch television for an hour at night! However, make sure you don't do it too long for several days in a row.
- Combine the activities you do so you don't get bored. For example, you could play a game for an hour, then take a leisurely stroll afterward. After that, try out your favorite recipe, then read an interesting book after your meal.
Step 2. Exercise
The benefits of exercise to improve mood, raise awareness, and improve brain performance to cope with problems are widely recognized. Therefore, try to make time for high-intensity exercise, such as running or lifting weights, at least 2-3 times a week. On other days, try to do at least 30 minutes of less strenuous activity, such as walking, swimming, or cycling.
- Set a goal to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. If possible, purchase a pedometer to measure your mobility more accurately.
- Don't just sit all day. Every hour, take 5 minutes to go for a walk, stretch, or do jumping jacks to “wake up” your mind and increase your energy.
- If you're facing a problem and you can't find a solution, increasing your mobility, such as running, cycling, or jogging, can help your brain figure out a solution.
Step 3. Eat foods that are healthy and good for brain health
In fact, foods that are low in calories and saturated fat have been shown to improve brain performance and memory. In addition, also increase the consumption of fresh food instead of instant or processed food.
- Choose foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids such as fish, walnuts, seaweed, winter squash, and broccoli. All of them are useful for supporting your cognitive health.
- Other foods that can help improve brain performance are blueberries, nuts, avocados, and kale. In addition, beverages such as coffee and tea are also believed to contain positive benefits for cognitive health.
Step 4. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night
Remember, sleep is a very essential factor to maximize the performance of your body and mind. In fact, lack of sleep can reduce the quality of your memory, mood, cognitive thinking, and logical thinking ability.
- Try to always go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Scheduled sleep patterns will be recorded by your brain, and help you to fall asleep more easily at night.
- Avoid using electronic devices that emit very bright light, such as cell phones and computers, at least an hour before bedtime. By doing so, you will undoubtedly be able to sleep faster and get better quality sleep.
Step 5. Meditate to increase your self-awareness
Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position for 5 minutes. After that, focus on taking deep, slow breaths. If your mind starts to drift off to other things, try to bring your focus back to your breath.
- Meditation can help reduce stress levels, relax your body and mind, enrich your perspective, and strengthen your self-awareness.
- Try downloading an app that provides guided meditation such as Headspace, Insight Timer, or Calm.
Step 6. Engage in positive and healthy social relationships
In fact, connecting with other people can help enrich your ideas and knowledge, as well as broaden your perspective on life. Therefore, cultivate your relationship with the people closest to you. For example, don't hesitate to invite them to activities, meet up, or just have dinner together to strengthen their relationship with each other.
- After that, start inviting them to discuss each other's beliefs, ideas, and/or thoughts. Trust me, their wealth of perspectives is sure to take you by surprise and potentially broaden your perspective on an event or phenomenon.
- Open your mind when discussing with other people. Of course, you don't always have to agree with them. But at least, understand that you can learn a lot just by being a good listener.
