Written by Claire Walton, Executive Coach
Claire Walton spent over 20 years leading teams to achieve major changes in large organizations across the UK and Europe. Having trained as a coach in her 20’s, she has 30 plus years coaching experience.
Curiosity may have killed the cat but for humans it’s critical for developing neuroplasticity. Whenever I meet up with certain friends of mine they ask me, “So come on tell us about the latest thing you’re into?”. This usually comes with a rolling of eyes and a slightly sarcastic tone.
It’s true I am always trying new things. Hot off the press I have joined my local contemporary choir! I am hoping this will be a joyous activity and let’s face it who doesn’t need more joy in their life.
I am expecting it to require me to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new skills and develop some existing skills. It will be an opportunity to socialize with a more diverse range of people from my current friends and client base as well as getting my off the sofa for one more evening a week. The sofa is where my brain degenerates on sugary snacks and all too often depressing Netflix drama or documentaries.
I also have a painting retreat booked for later this month (I’ve only painted 2 pictures since leaving school 40 years ago). I am curious to see how my brain will handle translating what I see in front of me into something resembling the same but in acrylic form on canvas.
My new hobbies for 2023 were learning to do Stand Up Comedy and Stand Up Paddleboarding. I am still doing the Paddle Boarding and love the peace of the lake or river and the opportunity to do something physical, requiring balance of mind and body, and with the benefit of being in nature and at a slow pace for a change.
The Stand-Up Comedy was a challenge and was definitely out of my comfort zone. Whilst I regularly speak at events for clients, this is not the same. I had to learn about comedy, write a funny script, memorise said script, and learn how to use my body and voice to deliver my script delivering it with the sole purpose of making people laugh.
I rarely stick to a hobby for more than a few years and even then I like to change things up. For example: I’ve been exercising regularly for the past 15 years and have tried running, hiking, cycling, badminton, strength training, Pilates and lately yoga and back to some strength training. I’ve attended classes, worked out on my own, with friends, my daughter, with my partner and with a personal trainer.
I regularly change my diet (Most recently I converted to a plant-based diet). I have also played around with intermittent fasting, juicing, blending, sugar free snacking, caffeine free, mushroom coffees and so on. It all keeps life interesting and requires me to learn, adapt and get creative.
Am I fickle, restless or just curious?
Well if truth be told I might be some of all of these, but mostly curious. And I am very pleased that I have this unrelenting curiosity for doing new things and for finding new ways of doing established things. I love to learn. Learning is good for us and not just for the newly acquired knowledge or skills we develop.
Here’s the neuroscience
Stimulating Neural Pathways: Engaging in new activities and varying routines stimulates the creation of new neural pathways in the brain. This process, known as neuroplasticity, helps the brain remain adaptable and resilient, which is crucial for maintaining cognitive function as we age.
Strengthening Synapses: New experiences and challenges strengthen existing synapses (connections between neurons) and help form new ones, enhancing overall brain function.
And the benefits
Building Cognitive Reserve: Cognitive reserve is the brain's ability to improvise and find different ways of getting things done. People with higher cognitive reserve can handle the changes and damage that occur in the brain due to aging or disease.
Delay Onset of Symptoms: A robust cognitive reserve can delay the onset of symptoms of dementia. By regularly challenging your brain with new tasks and varied activities, you can reduce cognitive decline associated with dementia.
Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills: Learning new things and approaching tasks differently improves problem-solving skills and mental flexibility.
Encouraging Adaptability: Mental agility and flexibility enable better coping strategies for dealing with unexpected changes and challenges, ever present in life these days.
Reducing Stress: Trying new enjoyable and stimulating activities can reduce stress levels. Chronic stress is also a known risk factor for dementia, so managing stress through learning new and varied activities can have protective effects on the brain.
Mood boosting: Activities that are mentally stimulating and enjoyable can boost your mood and reduce symptoms of depression, which is also linked to an increased risk of dementia.
Improving Social Connections: Many of my learning activities involve social interaction with new people, which has been shown to be beneficial for brain health. Strong social networks and regular social engagement can lower risk of cognitive decline.
How this applies to the professionals I coach
Most of my coaching clients are Executive Directors, Senior Leaders and Business Owners. Most are also in their 40’s and 50’s. Many of them say they are too busy to have hobbies and interests out of work. I can relate to this. I used to be a single mum and an Executive Director, I had no time for anything other than work and raising my daughter.. Having said this I encourage them to try something new regardless and if they can’t add something new then try changing the way in which they approach their current activities at home and at work. The benefits to them and the organization's they lead are too great to miss out on.
The risk of living into our 80’s and suffering with dementia is significant and anything we can do to reduce this risk is worth considering.
The leading cause of death across the UK in 2022 was dementia, accounting for over 74,000 deaths (11.3% of all deaths).
5,000 more people died of dementia in 2022 compared to 2021. Dementiastatistics.org
My client base often considers themselves less susceptible to dementia due to the brain hungry needs of their roles. However, doing the same thing repeatedly and in the same way, and being overly reliant upon knowledge and skills learned years ago is not developing your brain. At the same time, the pressure of the role is often stressing the brain, which can contribute to reduced cognitive function in the present and increase dementia risk in the future.
So why not take a leaf out of my book and try something new
Take up a New Hobby
Learn a New Skill
Learn a New Language
Travel and Explore
Join Clubs or Classes
Join a new professional network
Mix Up Your Routine at home and work
Find a coach
If you don’t feel you have enough time for any of the above then get yourself a coach to challenge your thinking, behaviour and actions and to encourage you to acquire new knowledge and learn new skills. A good coach will respect what you already know and can do and will at the same time work with you to find the right opportunities for personal and professional growth and adaptability.
Claire Walton, Executive Coach
Claire Walton spent over 20 years leading teams to achieve major changes in large organisations across the UK and Europe. Having trained as a coach in her 20’s, she has 30 plus years coaching experience. In 2014 she started to build the brand ‘Leaders are MAD’ to help leaders make a difference for themselves, their teams, organisations and the customers and communities they serve. Claire’s clients describe her as authentic, empathetic, challenging and inspirational. They describe her work with them as transformational. Claire is also a best selling author and keynote speaker.
