4 Creativity Strategies To Recharge Our Brains As We Age

Creative acts can grow new neural connections, reduce depression and isolation, enhance cognitive skills, and increase emotional fulfillment.

There are many well-known creative activities one can engage in, such as learning a new language, playing a musical instrument, writing a short story, painting a picture, diagnosing a car’s engine problem, or composing a poem, among many others.

• Change one element in an activity you do repeatedly. This will require you to learn something new and that will trigger the creative process.
• Add something new to a routine. For example, when watching your favorite TV drama, pause it every ten or so minutes, and predict what will happen when you resume watching.
• Engage in an activity that constantly changes. 
• Begin a new activity. The best example is learning a new language. Everything is fresh: the meaning of words, the syntax, and pronunciation.

The purpose of creative activities for brain health is not to produce a sellable or even a laudable product. These activities creates new neural connections that can preserve your cognitive ability or at least slow down its deterioration.

Also, just as muscle strength takes time to develop after years of idleness, so does improved memory and better reasoning abilities.