Got Brain? Fun & Free Games to Improve Cognitive Function!

Do you ever avoid doing something that you know would be good for you because it's not enjoyable?

 

I know I do!  ☺

I'd like to share 2 sites that have fun games to improve brain function/health.

Both of these sites have many games that can be played for free.

Best of all, they are FUN!

At Fit Brains, there are more than 20 scientifically designed brain games designed to target all five major cognitive areas of brain function and keep your brain "healthy and sharp".  Almost all of them can be played for no cost. ☺  Although Fit Brains always asks if you'd like to sign up for a free account, it's entirely optional and when the little window pops up, you can select the 'Play Without Tracking' button to play the games without signing up. A free account allows you to track your progress, have brain games adapt to you and challenge your friends.

At Lumosity, although they also have more than 20 games, only the 'featured games' shown at the top can be played without signing up for a free account.  A window may pop up asking you to sign up for an account but if you hit the X in the upper right corner of the pop up window, you can then play the game without signing up.  Once again there are games you can play without signing up or paying.  A free account allows you to save your scores and compare scores with others.

Lumosity games are organised by what brain function they help hone.

For those interested in reading more about how our awesome brains can change and heal, there is literature on those 2 sites above and there is an excellent blog called Brain Leaders and Learners.

Have fun!

p.s. in my opinion, having fun is an absolutely necessary ingredient for healing!

☺

Do you know of any other free resources for building or improving brain function?

If so, please share them in the comments section!

I'd also love to hear if you have a favourite brain game from either of those sites.

Thanks!

Sharing Inspiration

Since my 'retreat', I haven't felt much like writing.

I've noticed that I'm very possessive of my energy - selecting carefully what I spend it on.
So I think that, for a while, I'll focus on sharing things here that are inspiring me in some way.

I'd like to share a video with you that recently made a huge impact on me.
It's a fascinating, passionate 18-minute talk given by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist.

Many years ago she had a stroke and her description of the experience was amazing and, interestingly, spiritual! At the end of the talk I felt moved, inspired, full of joyful tears and so lucky to be a human in such a miraculous body! I hope you'll check out the video.

It took her 8 years to relearn how to walk, think and talk and she sees the entire experience as a positive thing! She is a strong advocate for the possibilities of recovering from strokes - or even being stronger than before they happened.
Her stroke stimulated the right/creative side of her brain and she now sings (advocating for people to donate their brains postmortem for research) and makes stained glass brains in addition to being a scientist!

My apologies to readers who are on dial up speed who have a hard time with videos. You could check out her book or website. Although I haven't read it yet, I've heard her book is incredibly inspiring.

You can view the video here. It's on the TED site which is inspiring all by itself! There are a plethora of inspiring, interesting talks given by people in fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED for short).

**Note**
There is a real brain present for short time during the video - heads up for anyone who gets super grossed out by stuff like that :)

Inviting Neuroplasticity Part 1

I used to be able to write and speak easily and eloquently.
It was effortless and actually really enjoyable. So was thinking.
No longer. Now those are challenging and frustrating - writing the most (ironic that I recently I chose to begin a blog).
At times, I feel that that ease of cognitive function is one of the things I miss the most from my life before MCS.

My cognitive symptoms/challenges (I don't like the words 'dysfunction' or 'limitations' even if they are true) are by far the worst during or after an exposure but there is a certain level of difficulty I experience all of the time. I have not had a neurological assessment, SPECT scan or MRI and I have no idea if I have 'brain damage'. I don't really care to know. I know my brain works differently than it used to as far as cognition is concerned. Maybe certain neural 'pathways' or areas are damaged or blocked.

I used to think, write, speak and communicate at a certain 'level' and now I do all of those things at a far lower level... yet still high enough that I am painfully aware of all that I have lost. I don't feel I'm expressing this well. It is a deep grief and a daily frustration - especially when I have all sorts of ideas and viewpoints that I would love to be sharing in this blog.

For inspiration and hope, I look to stroke patients and patients with various types of brain injury. Among them are people who have relearned far beyond what anyone predicted they could.
Our brains are miraculous, amazing things.
Neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to 'rewire' itself after damage (or more scientifically: the process by which neurons create new connections among themselves) - is itself a wonderful, exciting thing. It is now known that activity in the brain that is associated with a specific action or function can actually move to a different area in the brain!
I imagine a horde of happy little neurons coming to the place that they normally 'cross the river' only to find the bridge is missing. Instead of giving up, they decide to actually build a new bridge! A bit cheesy but inspiring.

The mind-body connection is not well understood yet but many health care professionals accept that it does exist and can greatly effect the outcome of injuries, illness and disease.

With this in mind, I have decided to try regularly talking to my brain(when I remember). Yes, this may sound 'crazy' but I figure I have nothing to lose (unless I talk to it in public :)!

I am going to invite my brain to heal, let it know that I love it, that I honour and cherish it and marvel at how amazing it is! I'll tell it that I'm so glad it exists, and that I trust it to find new ways to communicate. I'll let it know what I want - to communicate easily and well - and tell it that I will be open to whatever ways it can provide.

My old, 'normal' ways of thinking, writing and speaking simply aren't working well for me anymore. When I try to use them, I get totally jumbled up, confused and frustrated. It is doing me no good to keep holding onto those old ways. So I will try to let them go to make space for new ones.

To Do List: Send love and encouragement to my brain

Photo Credit: Casey Hodge