Defeating Brain Drains with Fun Brain Gains

Source: "puzzle" by olgaberrios is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse. 

A brain drain or sometimes mental decline refers to a general state of mental fatigue. Young people can experience brain drains too! It doesn’t just happen with old age, it can result from both inactivity or burnout. Like a muscle, your brain needs to have the right amount of stimulation. Too much stimulation from short form content (aka brainrotting) can be just as harmful as overworking yourself, and the same goes for extreme boredom. 

Typically, students can experience declines in alertness and memory during breaks — especially summer vacation. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you’re meant to be resting and taking time off from the stress and mental load of schooling. However, this makes the transition back to school harder and sometimes students struggle to adjust. Keeping your mind sharp doesn’t mean studying during your precious resting time though; it means entertaining your brain with things other than work.

There are many holistic strategies that involve limiting passive screen time and curating your digital consumption with more time for skills and hobbies. Here are 5 steps you can take to keep your mind entertained without doomscrolling:

1. Limiting screen time

It’s easy to fall into the trap of scrolling for hours, especially during long breaks. While screens aren’t “bad,” passive screen time can drain your focus and leave your brain feeling sluggish when school starts again. Instead of cutting out screens entirely, try setting gentle limits.

• Putting your phone in another room for an hour

• Setting app timers

• Setting clear boundaries (no screen time 1 hour before going to bed and after waking up)

By being intentional with your screen time rather than letting it control you, you protect your attention span and keep your brain feeling refreshed, not exhausted.

2. Combat brainrot and mindless scrolling

While reels and shorts can be entertaining, a downside of short-form content is the volume of content condensed in a short period of time. It makes it difficult for ideas to stand out and be remembered, which may overwhelm our memory and processing abilities.

Try replacing some of your usual doomscrolling with content that uplifts or inspires you, like cooking videos, study vlogs, DIY crafts, travel shorts, or short educational clips. Mix in accounts that teach you something new or motivate you to try fresh activities.

3. Stimulating games

Fun brain activities don't have to be for seniors trying to stay healthy to avoid dementia. Young people benefit from them too! Games that challenge your thinking can keep your mind engaged without feeling like homework. You can play many of them online, making them super convenient during breaks:

• Chess (online or apps): boosts strategy, planning, and problem-solving.

• Strategy or Cozy games: titles like Civilization, Stardew Valley, or even Plants vs. Zombies 

• Word games: Wordle, Crosswordle, and other vocabulary puzzles can improve memory and language skills.

• Trivia: You can play jeopardy online, or read questions about your favorite topics 🦖 

• Puzzle games: Mahjong, Sudoku, Memory Match, and card games: All simple and timeless classics that people still love today for boosting memory and concentration

• Murder mystery books or logic puzzles: reading mysteries or solving cases keeps your brain guessing and improves deductive reasoning.

Additionally, you can find sites dedicated to providing quick and easy games, such as Games for the Brain and Brain Games | National Geographic Kids. 

4. Hobbies

Creative hobbies such as origami or musical instruments are mentally stimulating and have transferable skills. Some great hobby ideas include:

• Origami (improves spatial reasoning and patience)

• Learning a musical instrument (boosts memory, coordination, and creativity)

• Building electronics

• Metalworking, Woodworking

• Drawing, painting, or crafting

• Sewing or embroidery

And believe it or not, many video games also use real cognitive skills. Strategy games require multitasking and planning, while chatting in multiplayer games can build communication skills and even improve typing speed.

5. Long-term projects

Long-term projects are the most rewarding for your brain. It trains discipline, guides passion and uses long-term planning. They are a great way to stay mentally engaged during long breaks because they give your brain something consistent and rewarding to work on.

• Starting a journal, scrapbook, or photo project

• Building a small model, diorama or craft

• Learning a new language (or a few phrases!)

• Writing a story, poem, or blog

• Completing a multi-step DIY or digital art project

• Designing something like a game, playlist series, fashion or a small website

Taking care of your brain during school breaks doesn’t mean studying, but rather keeping your mind entertained in ways that feel good. By limiting passive screen time, choosing content intentionally, playing stimulating games, exploring creative hobbies, and taking on long-term projects, you can return to school feeling refreshed rather than rusty. A little bit of “brain gain” every day goes a long way.