Flexible Thinking Activities
Monica Segeren
flexible thinking activities

If you have heard of brain exercises, like we have covered in a previous article, you might be familiar with flexible thinking activities as well. What exactly are flexible thinking activities? First, to define flexible thinking. According to GAIAM, “a flexible mindset moves us away from limiting thought patterns to a place of openness and possibility. In those moments, when you are feeling stuck, worn out by the regular routine or caught in old habits and repetitive patterns, you can adapt your thinking and behavior in a way that will inspire you and boost your resilience and your chance at success.” This will mentally prepare you for tough situations that you aren’t used to in your normal routine and will help you become mentally mature. So what are some flexible thinking activities that we can do to achieve this mindset? 

Be Spontaneous 

Do you have the same routine every single day? Do you eat the same thing every morning? Take the opportunity to change the way you do things, to do something different. This is one of the more simple flexible mindset activities that won’t put a lot of pressure on you. Do something fun after work instead of waiting for the weekend, take a flight to go see something cool, or have breakfast for dinner! 

Meet New People 

One of the best things to do for one of the flexible thinking activities is to meet new people and conversate with them. Every single person is unique and has a different perspective on life. Without meeting new people, you will continue to have the same experiences and will not grow. If you have social anxiety you can always try meeting people online and FaceTiming or video chatting with them. As a writer, one of my favorite things to do is to interview people and their experiences! 

Acknowledge Your Frustrations

We have all told ourselves at one point that “I can’t do this” or “I’m not trying that” but it’s taking chances that gives us life experience. If you become overwhelmed and frustrated at a new situation, it’s important to take a step back and breathe. To realize that each life experience is going to be different and it will help shape our mind in the long run. Even though this is one of the more difficult flexible thinking activities, it’s a necessary one to practice. 

Change the Rules of a Board Game 

For this activity I found the idea here, and it is something that can be done with the whole family or a group of friends. Also, this is a much more fun approach to flexible thinking activities but still helps you change the way you typically think. 

Read About It

A great book I discovered about flexible thinking is by Leonard Mlodinow called Elastic: Unlocking Your Brain’s Ability to Embrace Change. You can find the book on Amazon here. Do you have children in your life? They now have picture books about flexible thinking that you can find on Amazon. A great example is My Day is Ruined by Bryan Smith which is suitable for ages 5-10. 

Be Open 

The most important thing is to just be open to new things, people and experiences. With this, you’ll become a professional at flexible thinking activities before you know it. Do you have any activities that have helped you? Let us know at BetterYou! 

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