brain training.

I like to believe that I used to be smart. I always did well in school and completed my doctorate at age 25.

But then something happened. Maybe it was a serious case of the so-called “mommy-brain”. Or too much multi-tasking to keep up with being a homeschooling, traveling, working mom. Or too little time devoted to “brain training” and too much time devoted to checking things off the to-do list. I don’t know exactly. But each day, I feel less and less able to truly think and learn.

A year or two ago I realized my knowledge of current events was dismal. To start to correct that problem, I’ve started reading the New Yorker and Time each week in order to start to come up to speed with what’s going on in the world. Not ideal, but it is a start.

I’ve been studying French for years now. If I was truly dedicated, I should be fluent, but I’m not. To move forward, I’ve added French classes to my “Happiness Project” outline.

I started using Lumosity about a year and a half ago. At first, I found it fun and challenging. But then slowly, I realized, I was simply learning how to play the games. And playing them didn’t sharpen my brain, it only increased my anxiety levels. So I quit about a month ago, and my mornings are so much more pleasant now.

Do I give up on exercising my brain in exchange for less anxiety? No, but I need to find activities that truly stretch my brain. Now that I have a little more time and don’t feel as though I have to rush through everything, maybe the idea of stumbling blocks won’t stop me from trying new things.

And so I’m off … to learn Python. And I’m not going to let the stumbling blocks I’ve already encountered simply installing Python stop me!

maps – 2 dec 2014