Taking your brain to “the gym” and constantly feeding and developing your mind is just as important and crucial to your health as nourishing and exercising your physical body. The brain is the most complex part of the body. It controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger, and every process that regulates the body. The brain is critical to maintaining a healthy and independent life.

The brain changes and adapts to the many different things you experience and learn, all the more reason for intellectual wellness to be of concern to your daily living. Intellectual wellness encourages learning. It recognizes creative abilities and encourages you to find ways to expand your knowledge and skills. Intellectual wellness inspires exploration and motivates you to try new things as a way of knowing yourself and understanding others and your environment. It is important to explore new ideas and understandings to become more mindful and better rounded.

You can develop your intellectual wellness through personal and professional development, cultural involvement, community engagement, and personal hobbies like reading and writing, among others. The route to intellectual wellness focuses on being open-minded. Be open to new ideas, new cultures, new knowledge, new skills, and new environments. Open-mindedness allows you to explore issues relating to problem-solving, critical thinking, learning, and creativity, the building blocks of intellectual wellness.

Below is a list of suggestions you can adopt to enhance your intellectual wellness.

  • Read more
  • Engage your imagination: express your creative side by exploring different avenues of creativity and artistic expression
  • Get outside and play: Physical activity keeps the brain fit and activates the brain nerves
  • Travel: The best way to gain knowledge and appreciate another culture is to experience it. Experience is the best teacher. Travel and see
  • Take brain and body naps: giving your brain and body a rest increases your brain power

There is no single way to enhance intellectual wellness; dare to pursue intellectual wellness and expand your skills for a happier life.

Join our LIVE WELL with EIGHT at STATE Program, track, and learn more about spiritual wellness this month.

Visit our LIVE WELL Intellectual Wellness page for more campus-based resources.