National Train Your Brain Day

 

A Witty Celebration of Neuroplasticity

Today, October 13, is the day we celebrate the world’s most flexible tool — the human brain. And no, it doesn’t require a subscription, a smartwatch, a dress code, or a motivational playlist.

Neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire itself — is like your neurons’ way of saying, “We can fix this.” It is the science behind what artists, writers, and daydreamers have known all along: creativity changes the mind that practices it. Every time we imagine, rewrite, or reshape something, our neurons are busy sketching new connections behind the scenes. 

The creative process isn’t about taming chaos. It’s about teaching the brain to dance with it — to turn confusion into curiosity, resistance into rhythm. Neuroplasticity makes that possible.

When I first stumbled across the concept, I didn’t see it as neuroscience. I saw it as creative survival. Because honestly, creativity is rewiring in action:

• That story you abandon halfway through? That’s not failure — it’s a reroute.

• That poem you rewrite eight times? Cardio for your cortex.

• That cat who walks across your keyboard mid-edit? Bonus challenge round.

Every time I write, doodle, or brainstorm a weird gnome plot twist, my brain’s up there rearranging furniture, deciding that maybe the couch of old thinking belongs by the window now. But creativity isn’t required to play this game. Neuroplasticity doesn’t care if you’re a scientist, a musician, or someone who finally figured out how to open a jar without four-letter words. 

Every time we learn something new, try something scary, or change one small habit, we’re strengthening neural pathways. Humans are, quite literally, brain bodybuilders.

Make it personal: For me today, while others might memorize brain facts or perhaps train for Jeopardy, I’ll be celebrating the brain as a living artist — one that edits, sketches, and improvises endlessly. Because whether I’m writing about bees, gnomes, or galaxies made of gemstones, the real masterpiece is the (mostly) quiet, ongoing renovation inside my head.

Brains: the only gym equipment worth keeping.