The brain–it’s a greedy little banshee!
Did you know that your brain weighs 3 lbs, but consumes 10 times more energy than the rest of your body by weight? It’s a greedy little banshee!
Mind-fatigue is hard to identify. It looks like dawdling, procrastinating, poorly executed work, fatigue, a loss of creativity, and wanting to “zone out” with music or movies.
Revive your brain by taking time off from thinking, yes. But avoid stressing it out further with your usual choices for relaxation that still overly involve it (scary movies, intense strategy games, arguing on a discussion board, reading reviews or news).
Consider:
- Connecting with nature (get your hands dirty—plant flowers, weed, mow the lawn). Or take a walk in it with the phone turned off.
- Exercise. Let your mind go fallow. Use your body.
- Sleep. Exhausted minds need rest. Sleep is good for your brain.
- Eat protein. Have a snack that energizes (true mind-food).
- Dole out affection and receive it (to a loved one, a pet, a close friend). Nurturing stimulates and lights up different parts of the brain—the emotional center needs restorative input too.
Be good to your brain. As one brain researcher shared, we can design computers to play chess, but we can’t teach them to see. Our brains work hard (mostly outside of our consciousness) just to help us walk, digest, pump blood, and breathe! Add all the tasks we ask our brains to ‘work on’ and it’s no wonder sometimes your mind is simply tuckered out. As are your even younger kids’ little brains.
Food for thought!
So true! And even moreso when dealing with special needs