Tips for Improving Brain Fitness for Recovery

u003colu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/what-is-resilience/u0022u003eWhat is Resilience?u003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/optimism-resilience/u0022u003eOptimismu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/tips-when-facing-fear/u0022u003eFacing Fearu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/your-moral-compass/u0022u003eMoral Compassu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/religion-spirituality/u0022u003eReligion and Spiritualityu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/social-support/u0022u003eSocial Supportu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/role-models/u0022u003eRole Modelsu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/physical-fitness-recovery/u0022u003ePhysical Fitnessu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/improving-brain-fitness/u0022u003eBrain Fitnessu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/improving-emotional-flexibility/u0022u003eCognitive u0026amp; Emotional Flexibilityu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/finding-meaning-for-recovery/u0022u003eMeaning, Purpose, Growthu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/practicing-resilience/u0022u003ePracticing Resilienceu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/videos/resilience-during-covid/u0022u003eResilience During COVID-19u003c/au003eu003c/liu003ernu003c/olu003e

u003ch5u003eAccompanying Worksheets:u003c/h5u003ernThere are lessons accompanying each video that you can u003ca href=u0022https://recovery.force.com/app/s/login/?ec=302u0026amp;startURL=%2Fapp%2Fs%2Fu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noopener external nofollowu0022u003eaccess through our recovery portal, Swellu003c/au003e.rnu003ch5u003eu003cstrongu003eMedically-reviewed articles:u003c/strongu003eu003c/h5u003ernu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/recovery/wellness/cultivating-patience/u0022u003eCultivating Patience in Recoveryu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/treatment-program/drug-rehab-success-rates/u0022u003eWhat Can Improve the Success Rate of Addiction Recovery?u003c/au003eu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernu003ch5u003eu003cstrongu003eProfessional webinars:u003c/strongu003eu003c/h5u003ernu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/professionals/webinars/relapse-prevention-changing-world/u0022u003eRelapse Prevention: “Doing” Recovery in this Changing Worldu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/professionals/webinars/advanced-recovery-systems-recovery-panel/u0022u003eOur Staff’s Stories of Recoveryu003c/au003eu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003e

u003ch3u003eBrain Fitnessu003c/h3u003ernu003cemu003eThis resilience topic is on brain fitness, challenging your mind and heart.u003c/emu003ernrnTrain our brain. How exactly can we do that? That’s going to be any activity where we challenge our intellect. We’re doing something that’s not what we’re keenly aware of, what we do on a regular basis. It’s something outside of the norm.rnrnSo a mnemonic strategy, that’s an instructional strategy that helps improve our memory. It connects new learning to prior learning. And it uses keywords like rhyming poems. Consider elementary school. Roy G. BIV. When I said that, did you think red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. The colors, in order, of a rainbow.rnrnAdditionally, there’s reasoning training, those are puzzles that challenge our logical thinking, like a series of arrows going in different directions. Well, which direction should it point next? Can be very frustrating, but it’s a great training process.rnrnThen there’s speed of process training that aims to improve our processing speed and visual attention. It uses repeated related tasks that increase with difficulty. As you do more, you get better at them and they get harder. These are all different ways we can train our brain.rnrnSo we’re training our brain to help regulate our emotions, to be able to identify them when we experience them so that they can be controlled or they can be identified and dealt with in that moment.rnrnUsing mindfulness can be extremely helpful. That helps us develop a calm, a peace within ourselves. It helps us to pay attention to what’s going on around us in the right now, to live in that moment and then to accept ourselves. Self acceptance is a huge part of mindfulness and it can improve our coping strategies. And when we are mindful there’s a decrease or there can be a decrease in our stress levels and our symptoms of anxiety and depression.rnrnu003cstrongu003eThere’s three components to mindfulness that we want to bring attention to, and that is:u003c/strongu003ernu003colu003ern tu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eIntention.u003c/strongu003e What are you doing and what are you hope to get from that experience?u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eAttention.u003c/strongu003e Are you paying attention to your inner and outer experiences? Are you being in that moment? Seeing what’s available in that moment for you to pull from?u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eThe last is your attitude.u003c/strongu003e Do you have a positive attitude? Consider curiosity, acceptance of other ideas, other people, and remaining kind.u003c/liu003ernu003c/olu003ernOur good friend sleep…Why is that important for our emotional brain? Because when we deprive ourselves of sleep, it creates risks for mistakes. How often have you seen the sleepy Dad In the middle of the night that’s trying to give his kid the bottle and it’s in the wrong way or something like that. That’s sleep deprivation and there’s the opportunity for mistakes, it impairs our cognitive and emotional performance when we don’t have enough sleep. We end up not performing at our top ability. It creates mood shifts.rnrnHey, when you don’t get enough sleep, you’re irritable. There are things that you don’t want to do. We can be grouchy. You can be reactive. It’s increased irritability. And you know what? You tend to lose your sense of humor. What might be funny on a full night’s sleep, is not so funny when you haven’t had any.rnrnAgain, sleep is going to help us deal with our stress, our anxiety and our depression. And when we’re not able to process information and see things for what they are in the moment, then it’s really hard for us to use our coping strategies.rnrnSo now we know why we want to train the brain. And we know different ways to do it. So what do we do now?rnrnWell, all training, physical or brain training requires discipline, a plan. Plan out what you’re going to do on a daily basis and then execute it. Follow through. If it’s something that you haven’t been able to follow through with and revisit it. And learn from your mistakes, we are not expecting perfection. And if we are, it’s an unrealistic, unreasonable expectation and we need to reconsider that.rnrnSo be realistic. Like watching videos on exercise isn’t enough to train your body. Watching videos on brain training or watching other people do puzzles or play video games isn’t enough. Practice your skills. Don’t just wish for change. If we could all wish for change, it would make everything a lot easier. It’s just not possible. Let’s be realistic.rnrnIdentify what really needs to change. Sometimes we get sidetracked by things that aren’t necessarily important. That could be because we’re trying to ignore those elephants in the room. Identify and say,” hey. I’m working on this over here.”rnrnLet’s be realistic, identify what really needs to change and then surround yourself with people who stimulate your personal growth. Surround yourself with people that are going to help you meet your goals, both physical and mental.rnrnu003cstrongu003eNext we will talk about cognitive and emotional flexibility.u003c/strongu003ernrnThank you for choosing The Recovery Village. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse and would like to find out more about the programs we offer, please reach out to us directly at u003ca href=u0022tel:855-387-3291u0022u003e855-387-3291u003c/au003e.