Unlocking Your Brain’s Potential: A Comprehensive Guide to Cognitive Abilities Our brains are capable of remarkable things at every stage of life. Whether you wish to improve your organizational skills or working memory, or you wish to pick up a new set of skills, it can be incredibly gratifying to tap into your brain’s unique potential. At LearningRx, we know! We’ve worked with kids, teens, and adults for over 30 years, targeting cognitive abilities through one-on-one brain training. But what are cognitive abilities, and what happens when you work on improving them? Below, we’ll take a closer look at these abilities, how they play a role in our everyday lives, and what can help to improve them. How to Understand Cognitive Abilities What Are Cognitive Abilities? First, let’s talk about cognitive abilities and what they are! These abilities, also described as cognitive skills or brain skills, are the complex skills used to think, understand, learn, read, and remember. These are skills such as: Logic and reasoning Working memory Focus Auditory processing Visual processing Long-term memory Processing speed It can sometimes help to compare cognitive abilities to motor skills. Just as motor skills are used to activate the body, cognitive skills similarly activate our mental functions. We rely on them every time we read and write, make decisions, solve problems, think critically, make connections between ideas, and reflect on what we know. In other words, they’re foundational to learning and complex thinking, making them essential to our everyday lives. 3 Ways You Use Cognitive Abilities in Daily Life It’s easy to think that cognitive improvement is only helpful for those in school. In reality, cognitive skills play a huge role in our daily lives—at home, work, with family, and elsewhere. Here’s just three examples of how they come in handy: Setting and meeting goals. From big-picture planning to small daily tasks, goal-setting requires focus, working memory, and organizational skills. You have to be capable of time management and self-motivation to establish goals and see them through to the end. Learning and remembering. Whether you’re trying out a recipe or figuring out how to use a recently purchased piece of technology, you’re constantly learning new things every day. This process involves logic and reasoning, working memory, and many other cognitive abilities! Adapting and problem-solving. Humans are remarkably capable of taking the information we know and adapting it to suit our needs. When our cognitive abilities are better-honed, it can improve the way we approach and solve problems, too. 3 Strategies for Tapping Into Your Brain’s Potential While scientists previously believed cognitive growth was more difficult as adults aged, they’ve since learned that the brain is constantly evolving throughout a person’s life. It means there’s always time to work on strengthening your cognitive abilities! So, how can you try improving the way you think and learn? Start a new hobby. Hobbies are a great way to keep your mind engaged and excited, while giving you the chance to pick up new skills and information in the process! Take a class. A regular class offers structured learning and repetition, incredibly helpful for understanding and applying new concepts. Try one-on-one brain training. Through intense, energizing sessions, you can target those cognitive abilities that you wish to improve! Train Your Brain with LearningRx At LearningRx, we work with students of all ages, from kids to adults and everyone in between. Whether you’re craving a challenge or want to brush up on certain cognitive abilities, you can always try one-on-one brain training! We tailor each program based on the unique needs and abilities of every learner, ensuring you can focus on those areas you wish to improve. Through games, drills, and exercises, you’ll work with a dedicated brain trainer to practice specific cognitive skills. When you improve those skills, you can also see big gains in the way you think, learn, and remember! Try strengthening your cognitive abilities with a little help from LearningRx. You can visit our website to learn more about brain training, or contact us today at 866-BRAIN-01.