By Steven Petroff, Toronto Accounting & Finance Recruiter
Keeping your mind strong and sharp is important for career success. Whether you are new to the world of finance or a seasoned professional, the more you can do to live a healthy work-life balance and keep your mind (and your body) healthy, the better position you will be in to perform at an optimal level.
Keeping your mind sharp is actually not as difficult as you think, and considering all the benefits, it’s something that all professionals should be investing time and effort into.
What most people don’t realize is that your brain starts to decline as soon as your mid-20s. Susannah Marriott from Canadian Living explains:
“From the mid-20s, brain function starts to decline, although you may not notice the effects until decades later. When synapses – the connections between the ends of nerve cells – aren’t switched on regularly, the brain finds it harder to store and retrieve information. However bad your memory is now, mental aerobics, good nutrition and moderate physical activity can elevate mental acuity and memory skills.”
3 Simple Tips to Keep Your Mind Strong
1. Stay active: This is one of the best and often overlooked, ways to improve brain health. “When we exercise, our heart rate increases, oxygen is pumped to the brain at a much faster rate, and new brain cells develop more quickly. The more brain cells we create, the easier it is for cells to communicate with one another, developing new neural pathways. Ultimately, our brains become more efficient and plastic, which means better cognitive performance,” says Yuriko Nakao on World Economic Forum.
2. Keep learning: While this may seem obvious, it’s very important. Even amid your hectic work schedule, finding some time here and there to learn something new, add a new skill and challenge yourself will help keep your brain sharp and help you stay on top of your game at work.
3. Believe in yourself: Again, seems simple, right? It works. “People who believe that they are not in control of their memory function — joking about “senior moments” too often, perhaps — are less likely to work at maintaining or improving their memory skills and therefore are more likely to experience cognitive decline. If you believe you can improve and you translate that belief into practice, you have a better chance of keeping your mind sharp,” says Harvey B. Simon, M.D. from Harvard Medical School.
Following these three simple tips will help you stay sharp and be the best financial professional you can be.
More Tips for Finance and Accounting Professionals
Overcoming Self-Doubt to Become a Successful Finance Professional
4 Finance Career Trends That Will Shape Your Career
Unprofessional Habits That Kill Your Chances of Getting the Job
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