Proper concentration is important in order to achieve goals, make decisions and function coherently within a society. You see, there are so many things that can push our mind away from the moment in the present society, and this is why the mind becomes foggy. The good news is that there are such good habits which can be implemented in everyday life to enhance your thinking ability and concentration.
Here are 10 lifestyle habits to help boost your mental clarity and focus:Here are 10 lifestyle habits to help boost your mental clarity and focus:
1. Get More Quality Sleep.
Sleep significantly affects all aspects of the functioning of the brain. Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep are known to impact alertness, concentration, work productivity, and emotional health. According to the research, adults should sleep for 7-9 hours per day. Make sure to maintain the sleep schedule by having a particular time to go to bed and wake up. Ensure your bedroom is well lit or has no source of light, it is silent, and the temperature is low for better sleep.
2. Exercise Regularly.
Physical activity also increases blood and oxygen circulation in the body, including the brain. It also triggers the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters that improve cognitive capacities. The recommended amount of moderate exercise should ideally be at least 150 minutes in a week through moderate exercises such as brisk walking or gentle cycling. The idea is to engage in some form of physical activity for a few minutes, and this will enhance the ability to concentrate for a few hours after taking the break.
3. Manage Stress Levels.
Stress and anxiety reduce resourcefulness of the mind through their constant pestering. Chronic stress hormones like cortisol affect the brain’s ability to concentrate, recall information and even make decisions. Engage in some light exercises such as yoga, meditating or listening to soft music to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and balance the impact of stress. It also aids in decreasing the daily stress by ensuring that one gets adequate sleep and rests.
4. Eat a Nutrient-Dense Diet.
In other words, the foods that you consume affect the shape of your brain and the processes that occur in it. Eat take lots of vitamin C containing fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids containing fish and nuts, high fiber grains, lean protein. Ensure that you take enough water also as you exercise throughout the day. Excess sugars, fats, and processed foods can impact the ability to focus, so minimize these.
5. Stimulate Your Brain.
Exercising your brain helps you create new neural pathways and enhance the existing neural connections in the brain. Conduct crossword puzzles, read books, attend interesting lectures, take up new hobbies – all these activities contribute to the cognitive reserve. Take up a course that you find difficult and is different from what you usually practice like learning a language or playing an instrument. Switch the routes to get home by in order to activate the navigational regions in the brain.
6. Remove Distractions and Multitasking.
Notifications are quite alluring and can lead to responding to them during work time, but interruptions hinder the concentration and quality of work. This means turning off all the push notifications, closing unnecessary browsers, turning off phone ringtones, and even turning off email notifications in order to prevent distractions from occurring during critical work. Multitasking also splits attention so work on one task to completion or dedicate the amount of time required to do the same.
7. How to Structure Your Time and Tasks.
It is good to have structure and planning in what one wants to do in order to keep the brain ready for production. Create a to-do list to categorize the tasks by their level of importance. Include time for large-scale tasks and short intermittent intervals to recharge energy. Group similar tasks together and do the most attention-intensive tasks during the period of the day when you have the most alertness. This kind of time division ensures concentration for about 60-90 minutes after which the worker takes a break of about 5-10 minutes.
8. Practice Mindfulness.
Mindfulness meditation entails the training of the mind on how to pay attention to the experiences in the present moment. This helps in training cognitive control and regulation of attention. Only 5-10 minutes per day has been found to decrease DAYDREAMING and increase Working Memory and attention span. Headspace is one of the many applications that offer guided meditations. Or focus on what you do, think, and feel during mundane tasks in your day-to-day life.
9. Limit Alcohol Intake.
Moderate intake does not adversely affect cognitive performance, but heavy drinking can kill brain cells and deprives the body of vitamins and nutrients necessary for healthy brain function. Moderation is key, with men advised to take a maximum of two standard drinks per day and women a maximum of one standard drink per day for the best health and performance. Limit alcohol intake as this tends to reduce the quality of sleep if taken close to bedtime.
10. Experiment with Brain-Boosting Supplements.
Some supplements exhibit signs of improving mental flexibility when consumed over several weeks. Bacopa monnieri, ginseng and ginkgo biloba may enhance memory, computation rate, attention and concentration due to its ability to enhance blood circulation in the brain and modulate the levels of neurotransmitters. Supplementing is recommended under medical advice. L-theanine, omega-3s, vitamin D, B vitamins, turmeric, and magnesium are also helpful for cognitive functions.
Summary
Clarity of the mind and focus are important for success, productivity and health. Adopt sleep, exercise, stress, nutrition, mental activity, scheduling, awareness, moderate alcohol consumption, and supplementation as permanent habits. Do not expect immediate results when using these tips, apply them patiently and with consistency to yield optimal results in the long run. Preservation of cognitive functions enables you to remain productive, learning and effectively living into the later years of your life.
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