If you are right-handed, you can practice learning to write with your left hand. This is a useful skill in case the right hand is injured and you can't use it. Furthermore, by learning to write with the left hand, communication between the two cerebral hemispheres improves, which in turn seems to increase cognitive awareness, creativity and abstract thinking. You can achieve this through strength training, exercises and concentration.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Strengthening the Left Hand
Step 1. Do weight training with your left hand
Use light dumbbells to improve finger and wrist muscles.
- The stronger the left hand becomes, the easier it becomes to hold the pencil or pen.
- You are able to focus on good handwriting if your left hand is stronger; this is because you do not perceive fatigue as you try to write.
- Flexibility is as important as strength; keep your hand supple to avoid cramps when you start writing.
Step 2. Perform daily tasks with your left hand
Once you have made your fingers and wrist stronger, start doing some simple daily activities. The more you use your non-dominant hand, the more comfortable you will feel. Start with the simpler jobs and then gradually move on to the more challenging ones.
- Eat and drink with your left hand. Cutting the food in the opposite way and pouring the drinks with the left engages the brain and at the same time helps the hand to become stronger; this is a good exercise to start with as it doesn't interfere with your daily routine.
- Use your left hand to open and close. Doors, buttons, bags and drawers are all items that help you in the initial process. Remember that buttons and door knobs that need to be turned are more difficult to manipulate than drawers that open simply by sliding them.
Step 3. Change your computer mouse
Many people use this tool for hours; try to handle it with your left hand. You can also easily reverse the functions of the two keys by accessing the computer settings.
- Type the word "mouse" in the search bar of the start menu and select the first result.
- Check the box that says "Swap primary and secondary button".
- You can use the mouse with your left hand after selecting these settings or you can download left-handed pointers to make your job easier.
- Download left-handed cursors from the internet.
- In the "Mouse Settings" section, select the "Pointer" tab.
- Browse the folder containing the cursors you just downloaded and click "Open".
- Edit all six cursors (normal selection, guide selection, background execution, busy, precision selection, and shortcut selection).
- Click on "Save As", type in the word "Left-handed" and select "OK".
Step 4. Try to grab objects on the fly with your left hand
This exercise improves hand-eye coordination and stimulates the brain.
- Learning to write with the left hand has benefits for the brain, as it engages both hemispheres; he begins to grab (and maybe throw) with his left hand to trigger this phenomenon early.
- Learning to use both sides of the brain before starting to write with your left hand makes the procedure less frustrating.
Part 2 of 3: Practice the Writing Exercises
Step 1. Start with the alphabet
Write it with your right hand and, underneath it, try to reproduce each letter using your left, now that it is strong enough to do so. Remember to practice both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Write in the mirror. Place one in front of the sheet of paper and write with your right hand. The reflected image helps the brain to represent the same action for the left hand.
- Purchase a notebook with writing exercises. Draw dotted lines to create the letters and shape them.
- Repeat as needed. Some letters are more complex than others; rewrite the ones that are particularly difficult several times, until you can write them well.
Step 2. Move on to sentences
Remember to start gradually; write only a few lines a day and over time you will be able to notice improvements.
- Keep using reference phrases as needed. Just like you did with the letters of the alphabet, first write the sentences with your right hand and then copy them to the line below with your left.
- "That insulting zealous xenophobe tastes the whiskey and exclaims: alleluja". This sentence contains all the letters of the alphabet, even those present in foreign languages, and is perfect for practicing.
Step 3. Pay attention to the socket
If you start to feel hand cramps or are having trouble holding the pencil or pen, buy one for left-handed people. It is shaped to follow the shape of the finger and to be able to grasp it with ease.
Step 4. Write without reference
When you have become adept at writing short sentences, you can begin to trust your left hand more. You no longer need to compare letters and words as you type.
- Write your diary (if you have one) with your left hand. The concise phrases used to organize the day help you improve your "left handed" skills.
- Take your time. Without the presence of models to copy, the brain is stimulated even more than before; be patient and try to trace each letter correctly.
Step 5. Start writing freely
This exercise allows you to form words more naturally and quickly.
- Choose a topic to write about. The choice could fall on something casual, realistic or important, depending on your preferences.
- Give yourself a certain period and set a timer.
- Start writing. Using your left hand, let the mind take control; try to write as much as possible on the subject in the allotted time.
- Do this exercise consistently and in no time you will be completely relaxed and comfortable writing with your left hand. The content of the essay is not important, just check the spelling.
Part 3 of 3: Maintain Left Hand Writing Skills
Step 1. Practice every day
Preserve strength in your hand by writing and using it daily.
- Spend some time writing with your left hand. You can take notes on a calendar or constantly update the shopping list - set yourself small tasks to do with the left hand to maintain the acquired skill.
- Writing freely every day with the non-dominant hand keeps cognitive performance at a high level.
Step 2. Start drawing
Keep improving your left handed skills by starting to draw.
- Start with very simple shapes: squares, triangles and circles.
- Gradually increase the difficulty level of the drawings. The more controlled but natural the movements of the left hand become, the easier it is to maintain the ability to write.
Step 3. Switch between hands
Using both the right and the left improves the connection between the cerebral hemispheres.
- If you switch to using your left hand only, you lose the ability to write with your right.
- Creativity and abstract thinking are believed to improve when ambidextrous.
Advice
- Watch carefully how you hold the pen or pencil with your right hand and try to do the same with your left as well.
- Before you start writing, make some random scribbles to loosen the hand.
- The notebooks with the spiral represent a problem due to the presence of the spiral on one side; turn the notebook over if necessary.
- If you rotate the paper clockwise when writing with your right hand, you perform the same mirror motion, skewing the paper counterclockwise for an equal angle, when using your left.
