Simple Changes to Improve Your Mind, Mood, and Outlook

Feeling stuck in a rut? A few simple changes in your daily routine can sharpen your mind and improve your attitude. Here’s how to get started:

Switch hands
Use your nondominant hand to do daily tasks like brushing your teeth or clicking the computer mouse. This simple change promotes the growth of neurons in the brain, which can sharpen memory and thinking. “It’ll give your brain the regular workout it needs to stay healthy,” says life coach and Health columnist M. J. Ryan, author of AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For (in bookstores in May).

Engage your senses
Get dressed with your eyes closed. One night at dinner, communicate only nonverbally (that’s right, no words). By relying on different senses, you create more neurons in your brain and get more creative.

Try something fresh
It doesn’t have to be anything big—a free class at a dance center, a new recipe. You begin to think, I can do this! And that can lead to even greater accomplishments. When you learn a new skill, your brain actually builds new circuitry. “Think of it as mental cross-training,” Ryan says.

Ask: What’s right about this?
“How you frame something can change everything,” Ryan says. Try to consider the sunny side of a situation rather than focusing on what’s wrong with it. So if it’s pouring rain, instead of stressing about getting drenched, think of the good it will do for your garden. The result: A more optimistic and inventive you who can take on just about anything.