Learning Something New: For Life and For Health

You often hear how laughter is the best medicine, and for some people chocolate or multivitamins fit the bill instead. Each person is unique and so is his or her preferred form of medicine. What about learning something new as a form of medicine?

Often there are parts of personality, talents, and health that haven’t been expressed, at least in a while, and are just waiting to be let out. Everyone has different talents, so the key to unlocking these hidden treasures is unique to you. It could be that drawing or painting offers a form of expression that you enjoy. Writing stories, or a blog. Dancing or singing. Someone who is good at cooking dinner might try out desserts or baking instead. How about learning piano or guitar? A new sport?

Learning something new helps us feel adventure in life, which is very much a part of feeling healthy and active. When daily work and chores build up, trying something new shakes things up and encourages us to be in better tune with ourselves in many different ways–including our health. It could be that you have a talent you have exercised before, and maybe it’d be fun to take it to a new level in some way.

The adventure of learning something new can be frustrating at first, and even this feeling can contribute to your health. People can find that the frustration they experience in a new activity is one they’re dealing with on a larger level too in other parts of life. Tackling the challenge through the new learning experience can jump start changes in other areas of life too. Once you take the first step, you never know where it will lead you.

Just as life is a journey, so is health. These two experiences are woven together so that whatever you do to improve one area often improves the other one as well. Learning something new sparks both your body and your mind in new ways, impacting both your health and your life.

So, what have you been wanting to learn or try out lately that you haven’t had a chance to express yet? Maybe you’ve thought about it and it’s felt a little scary to go for it. As the season shifts slowly from winter toward spring, jump into this challenge anyway and see what happens. Enjoy the new adventure, expressing your talents, and the changes it brings to your life and your health!

Learning Something New: For Life and For Health by Aarti Patel