By Susan Ksiezopolski
Once spring has settled in, it is amazing how fast summer seems to arrive. The welcomed longer warmer days and an upcoming milestone of another school year behind us. Although school will soon be out don’t stop learning!
A continued practise and dedication to continue learning and growing supports our wellbeing! Not only does it help us to expand our awareness, critical thinking and better our understanding of the world around us, the more we learn the better we are at collaborating and communicating with others. The more we learn the more it helps us develop a sense of connection to others and ourselves in an empowering way. Engaging in new activities, nurtures our brain and thinking ability.
Learning and development is what helps us hold together human life and civilisation as we know it because it improves the wellbeing of not just ourselves but those around us and society in general. When we learn, we grow, we gain new skills, knowledge and understanding.
Research also suggests that when we practise lifelong learning, we are happier on average! Especially if we focus on learning about topics or skills that interest us. In addition lifelong learners statistically have been shown to have better brain function throughout the aging process. Studies found that for those engaged in learning and development practises throughout their lives, tend to display dementia symptoms later than those who spend less time acquiring new knowledge. Learning activities in children and youth help to expand their mind and for adults helps keep our brains healthy and improve our memory and ward off cognitive degeneration. Committing to continuous learning helps us to adapt to life’s on-going changes and keeps our brain pliable, flexible and healthier and makes it easier for us to adapt to changes. Becoming accustomed to incorporating new knowledge all the time is essential in order to keep adapting.
Learning is important on a personal level of wellbeing but also it helps to spark innovation, and new ideas, technological and cultural developments that people come up with to solve problems and improve our society. Just like we nurture our bodies with food, seeking out new information, new skills and continued exploring to expand our skills, knowledge and awareness nourishes our minds. Lifelong learning, and having a curious mind to explore is a valuable tool for our resilience and wellbeing. Research has shown that being inquisitive is one of the 5 strengths most reliably linked to satisfaction with life. The more curious we are, the more happy, healthy, and positive our social relationships are, and as an added bonus people that are more inquisitive tend to experience longer longevity.
It is important for us to always seek out opportunities to grow and feed our brain. Try new things. As Albert Einstein said “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and only cease at death.”
When we are learning new things, it helps to reduce stress as it, boosts our self-esteem and gives us a sense of accomplishment. It also supports our optimal mental health in that when we are engaged in learning activities we can find fulfillment, broaden our perspectives and discover new things about ourselves and our environment.
We have incorporated summer programs here at Joshua Creek to help children and also kids of all ages to continue to learn and grow because learning is the lifelong process that keeps us young. Check out our website for our upcoming summer programs and commit to come explore and learn something new to nurture your mind.
You can learn at any age! It’s never too late to expand your knowledge and acquire new skills and support your brain health in the process.