Intellectual Wellness
By Maisha Ahmed
NY Project Hope is a crisis counseling program that provides support and resources to help people cope with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic
There’s a reason I strongly believe that examination scores and grade point averages is not the end to all means when it comes to determining the meaning of intelligence. Despite doing better in school compared to my brother, I have always regarded my brother more knowledgeable than me in many aspects. He is well versed in social and political issues, extremely gifted in the world of arts, and his emotional intelligence is on another level. Contrary to the popular belief, intellectual wellness doesn’t only just refer to one’s academic knowledge; rather it encompasses a range of variables such as creativity, general knowledge, and common sense. So, what are some ways we can continue to expand and improve our intelligence?
Tips on Improving Intellectual Wellness
- Reading-When it comes improving intellectual wellness, I believe reading is the number one step everyone should take. There is so many benefits to reading; whether you read magazines or novels, reading can help expand your creativity and writing abilities. To motivate myself to water my love for reading, every year I do the 52 books a year challenge in which I am exposed to genres of books I would usually never even take a second glance at. In addition, I try to read one or two news article per day not just regarding to what’s occurring in the US, but all over the world. It helps me stay updated and are good topics to debate about.
- Learn a new skill-This may seem like a common-sense type of answer but always push yourself to get out of your comfort zone and learn something new, whether it’s learning a foreign language to expand your knowledge on different cultures or picking up a new instrument. I never had the courage to explore anything to the STEM-related field but I realize I absolutely love computer programing once I decided to give it a try. This opened up a world of possibilities for me including a way to combine both my major passion, psychology, and my hobby, coding for the future.
- Journaling-Journaling is an excellent way to express your feelings and it’s been a crucial part of improving mental health well-being too. Analyzing actions and feelings as well as understanding the reaction of others is a huge part of intellectual wellness.
- Playing Games-This probably sounds very appealing and fun. Games are an excellent way to develop intellectual wellness as most games requires a strategy to win. You are continuously thinking about the next course of action and how to achieve your goal. In addition, while playing with others, one can learn the importance of body language and relation to the actions taken.
Benefits of Intellectual Wellness
- Improves critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
- Enhance cognitive abilities such as improvement in memory power and concentration
- Increase of curiosity may lead to newer discoveries
- Development of personal values and morals
As always, Project Hope is also here to help you! Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone you don’t know! Want to know more about how we can help? Give us a call at 845-762-2275. Talking to us is always free, anonymous, and confidential. You can also visit nyprojecthope.org for more information.
Maisha Ahmed is a crisis counselor from Independent Living, Inc. working on with the NY Project Hope program.
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