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As 2025 has come to a close, and another busy holiday season has wrapped up, pause to spare a thought for your brain. Does it need some TLC? These tips can help you take care of \u2014 and improve \u2014 your mental and cognitive health now and throughout 2026.<\/p>\n
Here is some of the best advice we learned from experts this year about showing ourselves some grace, staying sharp, getting better sleep and breaking free from our phones.<\/p>\n
GO FOR A WALK.<\/p>\n
Physical activity is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your mental and cognitive health at any age. And research consistently shows that as you get older, staying active can help to reduce your risk for dementia.<\/p>\n
One recent study found that among adults who were at risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, those who averaged\u00a0more daily steps\u00a0had less cognitive decline over the course of nine years. People who took 5,001 to 7,500 steps fared best, but those who walked 3,001 to 5,000 steps a day also had slower decline than people who were more sedentary.<\/p>\n
TACKLE YOUR JUNK DRAWER.<\/p>\n
If your home \u2014 and your brain \u2014 are feeling a little messy, try some \u201csoft decluttering.\u201d Don\u2019t attempt to deep clean your whole place; just pick a pain point, and set aside time to tidy that one small space.<\/p>\n
This type of mini-overhaul may be enough to give many of us what we seek when we think about organizing: a mental load lightened, a satisfying before-and-after. \u201cSometimes you need a small measure of control in a world that feels chaotic,\u201d said Tara Bremer, a professional home organizer in Birmingham, Ala. \u201cIf it\u2019s one junk drawer, be the boss of the junk drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n
BE KINDER TO YOURSELF.<\/p>\n
Do you find that you\u2019re empathetic toward other people but overly hard on yourself? You might need an extra dose of\u00a0self-compassion.<\/p>\n
The next time you realize you\u2019re being too self-critical, try taking a compassion break. First, recognize the emotions you\u2019re having. Then, nurture yourself \u2014 what does the suffering part of you most need right now? Understanding? To be forgiven? A comforting message? Tell yourself something kind: \u201cIt\u2019s OK to feel this\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re doing the best that you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
TALK TO A FRIEND.<\/p>\n
Super-agers\u00a0\u2014 people 80 and up who have the memory ability of someone 20 to 30 years younger \u2014 don\u2019t share a magic diet, exercise regimen or medication. The one thing that does unite them is \u201chow they view the\u00a0importance of social relationships,\u201d said Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. \u201cAnd personality wise, they tend to be on the extroverted side.\u201d<\/p>\n
While super-agers probably have other things going for them, too (genetics and brain structure may play a role), talking to a friend is good for all of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who socialize more are more resistant to cognitive decline as they get older,\u201d said Ben Rein, a neuroscientist and the author of the book \u201cWhy Brains Need Friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
HEAD TO THE WOODS.<\/p>\n
Feel like your focus is flagging?\u00a0Take\u00a0a nature break. Studies have found that being outdoors boosts people\u2019s attention, creativity and mood. Researchers think that may be because being around trees, water, rocks and other natural features is \u201csoftly fascinating,\u201d allowing our brains to rest and reset but without getting bored.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0one study\u00a0published last year, people who walked through an arboretum performed better on cognitive tests than those who walked through an urban medical campus.<\/p>\n
The arboretum group also had\u00a0less brain activity\u00a0immediately after the walk, followed by bigger spikes while they were performing an attention task. That suggests the brain rested \u201cand then came back online more efficient and stronger than ever after exposure to nature,\u201d said Amy McDonnell, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Utah who conducted the study.<\/p>\n
TAKE TIME AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE. (REALLY, TRULY.)<\/p>\n
Clare Morell, the author of \u201cThe Tech Exit,\u201d recommends\u00a0setting aside one day\u00a0each week to separate from the phone. If you get a call, you can go look and see who it is, in case there\u2019s an emergency. But otherwise, your phone stays out of sight.<\/p>\n
Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests putting more physical barriers between yourself and your technology. For example, he prioritizes swimming for his summer workouts since the pool is naturally a phone-free zone.<\/p>\n
Freya India, the author of the Substack newsletter GIRLS, recommends setting a lofty goal and giving yourself a deadline to complete it. One idea: Invite friends to dinner before you know how to cook. With the date looming, your spare time fills with preparation and practice; you can\u2019t afford to scroll.<\/p>\n
WEAR EARPLUGS.<\/p>\n
Older people with hearing loss have a greater risk of\u00a0developing dementia. Scientists think that may be because the part of the brain that processes hearing is close to the part responsible for memory, and with less stimulation coming in, that region can atrophy. People who have hearing loss also tend to withdraw from social activities that could keep their minds engaged.<\/p>\n
To protect your brain\u2019s ability to process sensory signals,\u00a0use earplugs\u00a0or noise-protection earmuffs when you\u2019re around loud sounds, said Dr. Elizabeth Bevins, a neurologist at UC San Diego Health. In addition, people over 50, and anyone frequently exposed to loud noises, should get a hearing test every one to three years, she said.<\/p>\n
GET SOME QUALITY SLEEP.<\/p>\n
Virtually all sleep is good for your brain, but scientists think that two stages \u2014 deep sleep and rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep \u2014 are\u00a0especially important\u00a0for cognition and restoration.<\/p>\n
During deep sleep, your brain\u2019s self-cleaning system kicks into gear, clearing out molecular waste. REM sleep is when your brain processes emotions and new information that you picked up while awake, consolidating them into long-term storage.<\/p>\n
Prioritizing sleep hygiene can help improve sleep overall, including deep and REM sleep. Experts recommend that you set aside enough time to get sufficient sleep at night, and aim to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day.<\/p>\n
INSTEAD OF COUNTING SHEEP, TRY COGNITIVE SHUFFLING.<\/p>\n
If falling asleep is an issue, you may want to try a simple activity called \u201ccognitive shuffling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start by taking a random word \u2014 \u201cPluto,\u201d for example. Then think of as many words as you can that begin with the same first letter, so: \u201cPlane, poodle, play, peaches.\u201d Take a second or so to visualize each word.<\/p>\n
When you run out of \u201cP\u201d words, move on to the next letter of your original word (in this case, \u201cL\u201d) and do the same thing.<\/p>\n
The task is meant to distract you from the thoughts that may be impeding sleep \u2014 without activating your brain too much.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As 2025 has come to a close, and another busy holiday season has wrapped up, pause to spare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[64,63,137,514,515],"class_list":{"0":"post-408381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}