Brain Health Habits

The Brain Health study is trying to teach me ways to improve myself.  Some of the habits they suggest are well known to me - eg. do the hard tasks first, when you are fresh - and some just make me giggle.  

For example, there's the one they call Five Minute Breaks.  

Quiet your mind for 5 minutes, 5 times a day. It’ll improve your decision-making, problem-solving, and productivity.

Just the thought of remembering to do something five times a day was enough to push me over the edge.  I'd have to set an alarm, but I'm not free at the same time every day so I'd have to set an alarm every day.  

Am I in a space where I can quiet my mind five times a day?  Probably.... but there's that sneaky thought process again.  This might qualify as a high priority task, one that I would perform when I am fresh.  But one of the perks of retirement is that no one tells me what to do or when to do it.  Starting the day with a list of to do's, even benevolent ones, is just wrong.

When I was practicing meditation, it took me more than five minutes to settle in.  I don't want to fail myself five times a day.

As I'm typing all these excuses it occurs to me that these people may be on to something.  Perhaps I need to notice when there is downtime, and then put that downtime to good use.  Perhaps five times a day is aspirational; I don't think I'll harm myself if I miss a few quiet times.

Thanks for listening, denizens.  I'm going to sit in the comfy reading chair in the corner and quiet my mind.