Most of what I write is about the science of brain health and preventing Alzheimer’s: inflammation, insulin resistance, toxins, hormones, the long list of contributors we can prevent or reverse. I'll keep writing about all of it because it matters. But after more than a decade of working with clients, and five generations of women in my family losing themselves to Alzheimer’s disease, I've come to appreciate the simple things far more than I used to.
Living a life you want to remember, doing what you enjoy, with people you enjoy, changes how your whole life feels, and your brain lives inside that life. So this week, a different kind of list that feeds your soul and your brain : )
Sunshine, a walk in the morning or early evening
There’s a softness to the light at those hours, and the world feels a little slower. Make a point of noticing something new each time: a bird you haven’t heard before, the way the shadows fall across a neighbor’s porch, a flower that opened overnight. Small beauty is everywhere once you start looking for it. And the morning light sets your circadian clock, so you sleep better, which is when your brain does its cleanup.
A long chat with an old friend
You know the one. No matter how much time passes, you pick up right where you left off, as if no time has gone by at all. She knows your history, your family, the version of you from thirty or forty years ago. I don’t get to talk to that friend often as I’d like, but when we do catch up, it feels good. The laughter, the memories, the ups and downs of lives lived separately, but with a history that brings them together. I hang up feeling more like myself. Conversations like that are good for us in many other ways. They exercise memory, language, and emotion all at once, and social connection is one of the strongest health protections we have.
Try something new once a month
Remember the thrill of being new at something? The nerves, the uncertainty, the small victory when it finally clicks. A pottery class, a sport, a new trail, a recipe from a cuisine you’ve never cooked. A small thing, a silly thing, anything. Let yourself be a beginner again. Every new skill builds fresh connections in your brain and adds to your cognitive reserve.
Let it go
Think about how much room that old irritation takes up. The comment someone made, the thing that didn’t go your way, the worry you’ve turned over a hundred times. Imagine setting it down and walking away lighter. Your hippocampus will thank you, since years of stress hormones take a real toll on memory.
Water
A cold glass of water on a hot afternoon, a pretty glass you keep by your chair, with lemon or cucumber if you like. Make it something you enjoy rather than a chore to check off. Thirst cues fade as we age, and even mild dehydration dulls focus and memory.
Join in on something
Say yes to the book club, the volunteer shift, a class at the gym, the pickleball group that’s been asking. There’s something about being part of a “we” that makes the week feel fuller, and people with a sense of belonging and purpose show lower rates of cognitive decline over time.
Say I love you every day
To your husband or wife, your kids, your sister, your friend, your pet. Say it at the end of a phone call, say it on the way out the door. Nobody ever regretted saying it too often. Hearing it back releases oxytocin, which settles your whole stress response.
Forgive someone
You probably already know who. Forgiving doesn’t mean what happened was okay, and it doesn’t mean you have to connect if you don’t want to. It means you stop carrying it. It’s heavy. Resentment keeps your body in a low-grade stress state for years, and letting it go frees up energy for everything else.
Buy yourself flowers
Pick the ones you love, even if they seem extravagant. Put them where you’ll see them first thing in the morning. There’s no reason to wait for someone else to think of it. A little beauty on the kitchen table lifts your mood every time you walk past.
Relax, release perfection
The house doesn’t have to be spotless before friends come over. The dinner doesn’t have to be perfect. The email can go out with a typo. Let good enough be good enough and enjoy the moment you’re in and the people you’re with. Perfectionism keeps your body braced, and your brain feels that constant tension.
Don’t let life bother you
The traffic, the rude cashier, the plans that fell through at the last minute. Even the scary things that happen. It’s all part of life. It just is. Try shrugging more often. Some of the happiest people I know have mastered the art of “oh well,” and their nervous systems are better for it.
Give someone a small gift
A jar of homemade jam, flowers, a book you loved, a handwritten note tucked into a card. Watching someone’s face light up is one of life’s simplest pleasures, and giving activates the brain’s reward centers as strongly as receiving does.
Pay a compliment to a stranger
The woman in line at the grocery store with the beautiful sweater, or young children she’s trying to manage. The young man who held the door. Tell them. It takes three seconds, and it might be the kindest thing anyone says to them all day. You’ll walk away smiling too, and those small moments of connection with people you’ll never see again add up to a warmer, less stressed life.
Nurture your artistic side
Watercolors, woodworking, photography, writing, singing in the car with the windows down. Whatever you’ve always wanted to do or loved but set aside when life got busy, do it now. You don’t have to be good at it. Creativity engages memory, focus, and fine motor skills all at the same time.
Everything on the list above is nurturing and pulls you outward. Toward a friend, a stranger, a forgotten passion, simple pleasures, new experiences, a canvas, the sky at seven in the morning.
When your attention is on the person in front of you or the thing you’re making or doing, there’s less room for the rumination and fear that keep stress hormones elevated, disrupt sleep, and feed the anxiety so many are carrying.
The physical effects are real and measurable. People with strong social ties live longer. Loneliness raises inflammatory markers and blood pressure.
Time outdoors lowers cortisol and heart rate. Laughter, touch, and affection calm the nervous system and support immune function. Purpose and belonging are linked to better sleep, better cardiovascular health, and slower cognitive decline.
Go ahead and pick something. Call the friend. Buy the flowers. Go on the trip. Smile at everyone who walks by. Take the walk and look for something you’ve never noticed before. It really is a beautiful world.