What Is Cognitive Flexibility And How To Work On It

Cognitive flexibility is the ability of the human being to adapt your beliefs and actions to changes that occur in the environments that are frequent. This ability allows a person to put aside their own ideas and behaviors in the face of the need for modifications to occur.

For this reason, this ability goes against the rigidity that constitutes an obstacle to adapting to any eventuality that involves leaving routines and/or habits. In other words, it allows us to improve conflict resolution and the development of alternatives that represent changes.

Cognitive flexibility does not correspond only to specific situations, but also enables the acceptance of ideas and actions from other people and can be worked on through the resolution of various problems, exposure to different perspectives and the practice of activities that challenge thinking. routine.

Developing this ability can bring certain benefits that help people. Next, we will emphasize what cognitive flexibility is for:

• Greater tolerance for frustration: some changes can bring some disappointment, since the results are different than imagined. Introducing modifications in mental schemas leads to greater adaptation to challenging situations.
• Development of empathy: If a person can change their point of view due to the persistence of beliefs that are opposite, it becomes necessary to understand them in depth. In this way, empathy allows us to recognize other people’s feelings and ideas without the need to avoid them.
• Effective communication: Those people who can modify the initial approach usually have a more effective type of communication with their environment. This particularity is due to the fact that they take into account the perspective of social groups.
• Resilience: Promoting cognitive flexibility provides opportunities to overcome adversities that may arise. In this way, the person can have more options if they cannot carry out their initial scheme. Here we explain how to develop resilience in children and adults.

Adopting an inclusive way of processing external information allows for greater peace of mind and emotional stability. To prepare it, it is pertinent to carry out activities to work on cognitive flexibility in adults:

• Participate in discussions: Going to social groups involves facing different thoughts about various topics. Indeed, participating in exchange spaces constitutes a practice to adapt to any change that arises.
• Play group sports: There are places of personal leisure in which team sports can be practiced. In general terms, the most frequent activities are football, basketball, volleyball, handball, among others. Here differences are manifested in decision-making that must be agreed upon with the members of the same team.
• Table games: Occupations such as chess and checkers require efficient mental dexterity. In order to play in an appropriate way, it is important to vary strategies in response to the changes produced by the opponent.
• Meditation: Meditation aims to downplay certain thoughts that negatively influence a person’s life. In relation to this, allowing other reasoning to come in and incorporating them into the way of processing situations allows us to obtain a greater range of cognitive flexibility.

These alterations are not only observed in adults, but can arise during the childhood period. To solve this problem, you can do some cognitive flexibility exercises for children:

• Changes in game rules: One of the most viable options is to introduce modifications to the game regulations. In this way, children can acquire a greater tolerance for changes and the frustration they may experience.
• Memory games: within a relaxed and comfortable space, it is possible to appeal to children’s memory so that they remember objects and/or people. Given this, the capacity for attention and concentration develops, which are essential so that they can modify their cognitive schemes.
• Art: In artistic activities that children feel comfortable with, they may be asked to draw, paint and/or act out different scenarios. This helps to acquire greater permeability in the face of sudden changes.

Despite the exercises and activities suggested for both children and adults, the persistence of this problem can be an indicator of a serious event. For this reason, it is important to see a health professional if the inability to develop cognitive flexibility leads to other difficulties.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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