8 Tips for Developing Intellectual Wellness
What is intellectual wellness?
Intellectual wellness is one of the eight dimensions of holistic wellness because it is fundamental to our overall happiness. Intellectual wellness means recognizing your creative abilities and finding ways to expand your knowledge and skills. It is:
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- Seeking personal growth by learning new skills.
- Engaging in and enjoying intellectual discussions.
- Being open to new ideas.
- Learning about different topics that interest you from books, magazines, newspapers, or the internet.
- Consistently putting yourself in situations in which you feel intellectually challenged.
- Being eager to learn.
- Staying informed about social, political, and other current issues.
- Actively seeking out more than one side of an issue, especially for controversial topics.
- Giving yourself regular opportunities to engage in creative pursuits (i.e., drawing, pottery, photography, etc.).
- Regularly listening to lectures, podcasts, plays, or musical performances.
As children, we are eager to learn and are given many opportunities to do so. As adults, we refine our interests and enter a line of work and, in the monotony of our daily lives, rarely give ourselves opportunities to feel intellectually stimulated. Learning a new activity or skill forms new neural pathways in the brain, and consistently practicing those new skills or activities strengthens those pathways. Feeling intellectually challenged can improve memory, increase dopamine levels, and prevent certain illnesses like dementia.
So, how can you improve your intellectual wellness? Here are some tips:
1
Stay up-to-date with social, political, and other current issues.
I use my Amazon Echo Dot to read the news to me while I get ready in the morning, but other options are newsletters like The Skimm or podcasts like The Daily.
2
Find a creative outlet and put it on your calendar like you would for an appointment.
This can be a 15-minute dance party alone in your bedroom once a week, writing a novel, or taking a pottery class– anything that gets your creative juices flowing. Signing up for a class is a great way to hold yourself accountable, or you can block out time on your calendar to engage in it regularly.
3
Seek to learn something new at least each week, if not each day.
Here are some ways to learn something new:
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- Watch TED Talks
- Take courses through Skillshare (an online learning platform that offers monthly or annual subscriptions to access lessons led by experts), Udemy (an online database in which you can pay for individual courses on a number of topics), or Coursera (a learning platform that offers free and paid courses from academic institutions)
- Listen to podcasts like Stuff You Should Know or TED Talks Daily
- Subscribe to newsletters that interest you
- Use Google and search “I’m feeling lucky,” “fun fact,” or “fact of the day”
4
Read.
Set goals related to reading to hold yourself accountable, like reading one book per month or five chapters per week. You can use Good Reads to keep track of the books you’ve read and receive personalized suggestions for future reading. You can also challenge yourself by subscribing to Book of the Month, a monthly book subscription box.
5
Seek out opposing viewpoints and perspectives.
Most of us are so caught up in our perspectives on various issues that we only seek out information that confirms our beliefs. Seeking out information on all sides of an issue, even information you may disagree with will help you feel more informed and well-rounded. Try talking to someone who has different viewpoints than you or seeking out media that challenges your perspective.
6
Build your language skills.
This can be through expanding your vocabulary or even learning a new language. Research shows that bilinguals have less age-related cognitive decline, better reading abilities, attention skills, general intelligence, and concentration. Duolingo is a free app that offers a game-like experience to learn a new language, and Babbel is a paid app that offers a traditional educational format with pre-recorded or live sessions. Word games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles can help you improve your vocabulary, or you can subscribe to “word of the day” newsletters like A.Word.A.Day.
7
Get a good night’s sleep.
Research shows that sleep enhances learning and memory for two reasons: sleep improves our ability to focus, which allows us to learn new information, and sleep facilitates the consolidation of memory, which helps us remember new information.
8
Keep your brain sharp with brain training apps.
Apps like Lumosity offer short daily exercises that have been proven to improve cognitive abilities.
At Embodied Wellness Center, we take a holistic approach to mental health treatment. Interested in holistic therapy or want to learn more about it?
*Disclaimer: The content posted on this website is for marketing and educational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, psychotherapy or a replacement for mental health treatment. Please seek the advice of your licensed medical or mental health professional, and do not avoid seeking treatment based on anything read on this website.
