Wondering how you can keep your mind feeling fresh as a daisy after you’re well into your golden years? In this episode of the “Retirement Readiness” podcast, hosts Katie Umland and Tim Regan explore what “cognitive health” is, why it’s important to a two-comma life, and tips you can use to maintain your mind as you age.
Even though we often think of cognitive decline – like forgetfulness, slower thinking times, and so on – as an inevitability to aging, that’s not necessarily the case.
There are many ways you can keep your brain healthy and active and your mind sharp as you age. One of the best ways, Tim notes, is by getting out of your comfort zone. Once we reach middle age and older, many tasks become routine, and it’s easy for our brains to switch to “autopilot” mode.
“It’s only when you’re uncomfortable that you actually grow and continue to develop both physically and cognitively,” Tim says. “As people get into maybe their mid-career and beyond, really finding ways that they can get uncomfortable to force themselves to learn – whether it’s an uncomfortable situation, an uncomfortable subject material I’m going to learn, all of those kinds of things – goes a long way in keeping your brain sharp.”
The small, daily habits, like doing the Wordle or a Sudoku puzzle, can make a big difference over time on your mental agility and function.
Another way to keep pushing yourself toward growth is to become a mentor or mentee. With mentorship, you get social interaction and mental stimulation while also lifting up others, which can be healthy and fulfilling both before and during retirement.
If you’re looking for a solo activity to get the gears turning, consider going outside for a walk or doing other light exercise (which also comes with mood-boosting benefits). Keep in mind that your brain works similarly to the other muscles in your body: You have to “use it before you lose it.”
Hit play to learn more about how to maintain cognitive health in retirement from Tim and Katie, or click here to explore our previous “Retirement Readiness” episodes.
Key Timestamps and Topics
- 00:00:23 – What is cognitive health?
- 00:02:48 – Doing the same tasks every day can put our brain on “autopilot” and even make us feel unfocused sometimes.
- 00:05:54 – Getting uncomfortable and making new connections in your brain is key to continuous growth.
- 00:10:11 – Just like with physical fitness, your brain is a “use it or lose it” muscle you need to keep stretched.
- 00:11:37 – The value of mentorship in mental health and cognitive function.
- 00:15:38 – Mentorship involves building connections that help fit each other up.
- 00:18:04 – Try to pick up small, daily habits to improve your cognitive health.
- 00:24:32 – How to submit questions for the upcoming Mailbag segments.
3 Key Takeaways
- Finding new ways to stimulate your brain can go a long way in maintaining cognitive function and preventing decline.
- Mental decline isn’t necessarily a predetermined destiny – and we’re learning more and more ways to prevent and maintain brain health as we age.
- Finding the right mentor to guide you and push you out of your comfort zone (or even becoming a mentor to someone else) is a great way to ensure you’re living outside of your “fishbowl” and continuously growing your mind.
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