Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! Today, we're taking a look at:

• The lifelong importance of enrichment activities

• The powerful ways puzzles help our brains

• Start your holiday adventure with the perfect gift

• Activities to keep your brain sharp

The Lifelong Importance of Enrichment Activities

Enrichment activities — including puzzles, playing an instrument, and other things that make us think — can be stimulating as we work through challenges and build new skills.

However, they also play an important role in our lifelong well-being.

For example, they’ve been shown to reinforce connections in our brains, helping boost mental speed and memory. They also help improve visual and spatial reasoning and can strengthen our logic skills!

Enrichment activities also help alleviate boredom. They can help us get more in touch with ourselves, giving us a sense of purpose!

These kinds of activities have also been shown to slow cognitive decline compared to those who don’t participate in those kinds of activities.

Enrichment activities aren’t the only ones that involve your brain. They can be:

• Social: Including volunteering, simply talking with others, and more

• Physical: Including movement, gardening, and dancing

• Mental: Think of brain games, puzzles, and other stimulating activities

Some activities — like trying a new recipe — may be both physically and mentally enriching!

The Powerful Ways Puzzles Help Our Brains

Puzzles aren’t only a fun activity — they also have powerful benefits for our minds!

Research has found that those who played puzzles daily had better performance in a number of areas, including:

• Memory

• Attention

• Reasoning

Those who engaged with puzzles regularly had improvement in problem-solving and performed eight years younger on average when compared to those who didn’t engage in the same activities.

Puzzles also stimulate different parts of our brains, depending on what kind of puzzle it is — like if it’s language- or logic-based.

If you want something fun to do in your free time, consider a puzzle — it might just give your brain a boost.

Adventure Starts Here This Holiday Season

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Ready to make the season even better? Use code REVEL150 at checkout for an additional $150 discount. Don’t wait—this limited-time offer is your chance to add a little adventure under the tree!

Discover Activities to Keep Your Mind Sharp

So — we know it’s important to do activities that enrich our brains. And we know the powerful ways puzzles can help our brains!

But what kinds of activities should you do when looking for those brain benefits?

Some of our favorite activities to keep a sharp mind include:

• Soduku: These simple puzzles challenge you to place numbers 1-9 in a box without having any repeats in the same row or column.

• Jigsaw puzzles: These are a fun way to create a picture with the number of pieces of your choice!

• Crosswords: If you like to solve word puzzles, there’s a seemingly endless number of crosswords to choose from!

• Scrabble: This is a fun way to rearrange letters into words and keep building them off one another.

• Chess: Whether you play online against a computer or in person against a friend, this is a great way to flex your strategy skills.

• Games that teach new skills: From mechanic simulators to interactive, educative mystery games, there are so many games that teach new skills!

• Reading: Regardless of whether you prefer nonfiction, fantasy, or thrillers, reading is a great activity for your brain.

A Note From Us

Parting Thoughts

• ✅ Did You Know: Tiredness peaks at 2 AM and 2 PM for most people!

• 🎁 Our Holiday Self-Care Picks: Don’t forget to check out our 2024 gift guide, a collection of thoughtful, wellness-focused products that help you feel your best, inside and out. Shop our gift guide here!

• 🙋🏼‍♀️ Snapshot Of The Day: We'd love to see moments from our readers lives that they are proud of! If you recently accomplished an achievement, experienced a joyful moment, or are proud of a picture you have taken, be sure to capture it on camera and send it to us for a chance to be featured next week! 

• 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: While it may seem like a small thing, finding ways to challenge your brain can help you stay mentally sharp throughout your life!

Enjoying Note to Self?

Know of a great self-care tip or article you'd love to share with the community? Want to send us pictures of you completing one of your self-care rituals? Email us at [email protected]!