Megan Holt, Director of Clinical Services for The BridgeWay, reccomends these five tips to keep your brain in shape.

1. Develop a mindfulness practice:

Mindfulness practices in modern day can be most attributed to the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness is an active, open attention to the present. This practice is reciprocal. In other words, the more we practice mindfulness, the more we develop neuro-pathways in the brain associated with being mindful, which make it easier to be fully in the present moment.

2. Allocate time for fun:

Stop hoarding you vacation time and get out of the office. Start a new hobby or join a club that interests you. Even adult coloring books have increased the fun factor!

3. Increase your healthy habits:

Eating right, getting plenty of rest and exercising are essential to the mind-body connection. Increase your intake of food with Vitamin C, magnesium, omega-3, potassium and calcium.

4. Avoid caffeine and alcohol:

Caffeine reaches every cell in your body, and in those cells, it blocks the effects of adenosine, a chemical that regulates bodily functions. So, if we are under stress, caffeine exaggerates the body’s response to stress by blocking a natural inhibitor of nervous activity and feelings of anxiety.

5. Avoid shaming or blaming:

In order to deal with shame, people tend to withdraw, hide, silence themselves and keep secrets. This behavior will eventually disturb our emotional balance. Everyone should seek a support group that can respond empathetically and be an early warning system for when coping declines.