The Mom Crowd

Many times, I experience a phenomonon endearingly termed “mommy brain.”  I am forgetful, sometimes absentminded, and simple things are at times more complex than necessary. It’s no wonder moms sometimes experience forgetfulness or absentmindedness.  The responsibilities of a mother are never-ending and every mother must perform a daily juggling act.  Sometimes, some of those balls are dropped, consciously and subconsciously.

This morning, on a local morning talkshow, the hosts were discussing cognitive decline that often occurs among senior citizens. They discussed ways the elderly can stave off mental decline and improve their cognitive function. Now, I’m no senior citizen {yet}, but I do know that the tips they suggested would likely help me with my “mommy brain” as well! 

This article suggests that exercising your brain during midlife cuts memory loss in the 70′s and 80′s by 1/3.  The brain is like a muscle and the more it is used, the stronger it is.  Mentally challenging activities actually have the ability to rewire your brain and improve and increase its function due to our brain’s plasticity.  The nerd in me finds brain plasticity very interesting!  An important part to improving your cognitive function is to mix it up.  Rigid, overly routine, unspontaneous lifestyles are not conducive to brain plasticity.  Even repeating the same mental exercises everyday lose some of their benefit if you are not mixing those brain exercises up as well.   Here’s another site with some information on improving your brain’s function. 

After realizing some similiarities in senior citizen mental decline and my own “mommy brain,” I decided to compile some ways to help improve my less than optimal cognitive functioning.  Here are some ways to improve your own brain power:

• Memorize your shopping list instead of writing it down (and other recall practice activities) 
• Sudoku and crossword puzzles (and similar mental exercises)
• Visit this site for some brain teasers and exercises
• Read! Read! Read! (Read to your kids, read to yourself…just do it!)
• Play games
• Computer activities
• Limit television
• Knit or quilt
• Try to reduce stress and anxiety
• Live a little spontaneously
• Be physically active
• Eat your salmon! (Get lots of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet)
• Rest and stay hydrated

Do you feel like you ever have “mommy brain?”  Do you sometimes feel like your forgetfulness or absentmindedness is due to the many directions you’re being pulled in as a mom?