Enhancing mental clarity -
Fortunately, focus is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you work on building it up, the stronger it gets. Becoming more mentally focused is achievable, but that doesn't mean that it's always quick and easy. If it was simple, then we would all have the razor-sharp concentration of an elite athlete.
It will take some real effort on your part and you may have to make some changes to some of your daily habits. Here are some tips and tricks from psychology that can help you learn how to focus and develop laser-like mental concentration.
Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to stay motivated and focused even when you don't want to. Click below to listen now. Before you start working toward learning how to focus, you might want to begin by assessing just how strong your mental focus is at the present moment.
If the first set of statements seems more your style, then you probably already have fairly good concentration skills, but you could be even stronger with a little practice.
If you identify more with the second set of statements, then you probably need to work on your mental focus quite a bit. It might take some time, but practicing some good habits and being mindful of your distractibility can help. While it may sound obvious, people often underestimate just how many distractions prevent them from concentrating on the task at hand.
Such intrusions might come in the form of a radio blaring in the background or perhaps an obnoxious co-worker who constantly drops by your cubicle to chat. Minimizing these sources of distraction isn't always as easy as it sounds.
While it might be as simple as turning off the television or radio, you might find it much more challenging to deal with an interrupting co-worker, spouse, child, or roommate. One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that period of time.
Another alternative is to seek out a calm location where you know you will be able to work undisturbed. The library, a private room in your house, or even a quiet coffee shop might all be good spots to try. Not all distractions come from outside sources.
Exhaustion, worry , anxiety, poor motivation, and other internal disturbances can be particularly difficult to avoid. A few strategies you might want to try to minimize or eliminate such internal distractions are to make sure you are well-rested prior to the task and to use positive thoughts and imagery to fight off anxiety and worry.
If you find your mind wandering toward distracting thoughts, consciously bring your focus back to the task at hand. While multitasking may seem like a great way to get a lot done quickly, it turns out that people are actually rather bad at it.
Juggling multiple tasks at once can dramatically cut down on productivity and makes it much harder to hone in on the details that are truly important. Think of your attention as a spotlight. If you shine that spotlight on one particular area, you can see things very clearly.
If you were to try to spread that same amount of light across a large dark room, you might instead only glimpse the shadowy outlines. Part of knowing how to focus is making the most of the resources you have available.
Stop multitasking and instead give your full attention to one thing at a time. It's tough to stay mentally focused when you are ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or tuned out of the present moment for some other reason.
You have probably heard people talk about the importance of " being present. This notion of being present is also essential for recapturing your mental focus. Staying engaged in the here and now keeps your attention sharp and your mental resources honed in on the details that really matter at a specific point in time.
It may take some time but work on learning to truly live in the moment. You cannot change the past and the future has not happened yet, but what you do today can help you avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path for a more successful future. Mindfulness is a hot topic right now, and for good reason.
Despite the fact that people have practiced forms of mindfulness meditation for thousands of years, its many health benefits are only recently starting to be understood.
In one study, researchers had human resources professionals engage in simulations of the sort of complex multitasking they engaged in each day at work. These tasks had to be completed in 20 minutes and included answering phones, scheduling meetings, and writing memos with sources of information pouring in from multiple sources including by phone calls, emails, and text messages.
Some of the participants received 8 weeks of training in the use of mindfulness meditation , and the results found that only those who had received this training showed improvement in concentration and focus.
Members of the meditation group were able to stay on task longer, switched between tasks less frequently, and performed the work more efficiently than the other groups of participants.
Practicing mindfulness can involve learning how to meditate, but it can also be as simple as trying a quick and easy deep breathing exercise.
Start by taking several deep breaths while really focusing on each and every breath. When you feel your mind naturally begin to wander, gently and uncritically guide your focus back to your deep breathing.
While this might seem like a deceptively simple task, you may find that it is actually much more difficult than it appears. Fortunately, this breathing activity is something you can do anywhere and anytime. Eventually, you will probably find that it becomes easier to disengage from intrusive thoughts and return your focus to where it belongs.
Have you ever tried to stay mentally focused on the same thing for a long period of time? After a while, your focus starts to break down and it becomes more and more difficult to devote your mental resources to the task.
Not only that, but your performance ultimately suffers as a result. Traditional explanations in psychology have suggested that this is due to attentional resources being depleted, but some researchers believe that it has more to do with the brain's tendency to ignore sources of constant stimulation.
Researchers have found that even taking very brief breaks by shifting your attention elsewhere can dramatically improve mental focus.
So the next time you are working on a prolonged task, such as preparing your taxes or studying for an exam, be sure to give yourself an occasional mental break. Shift your attention to something unrelated to the task at hand, even if it is only for a few moments. These short moments of respite might mean that you are able to keep your mental focus sharp and your performance high when you really need it.
Building your mental focus is not something that will happen overnight. Even professional athletes require plenty of time and practice in order to strengthen their concentration skills.
One of the first steps is to recognize the impact that being distracted is having on your life. If you are struggling to accomplish your goals and find yourself getting sidetracked by unimportant details, it is time to start placing a higher value on your time.
By building your mental focus, you will find that you are able to accomplish more and concentrate on the things in life that truly bring you success, joy, and satisfaction.
Mental focus refers to your ability to concentrate on relevant information in your environment. This ability allows you to attend to things that require attention, complete tasks that you need to accomplish, and acquire new information.
In order to focus, the brain needs to filter out irrelevant information to concentrate on what really matters. Different types of attention can affect your ability to focus.
Selective attention , for example, acts like a spotlight to highlight specific stimuli in your environment. Sustained attention, on the other hand, allows you to stay mentally focused on something for an extended period of time. Levy D, Wobbrock J, Kaszniak A, Ostergren M. The effects of mindfulness meditation training on multitasking in a high-stress information environment.
This contributes to greater mental clarity, according to Kundalini yoga , because all 26 vertebrae receive stimulation and all the body's energy centers get a wake-up call.
Inflammation is not inherently bad. In fact, it's a necessary part of your immune system. We need inflammation to fight off infection and to heal—we would all be goners without a healthy inflammatory response.
But as with everything else in the body, it's all about balance! Too much inflammation in the body can cause your protective blood-brain barrier BBB to be more permeable, leading to brain inflammation.
This neuro-inflammation is sometimes called " leaky brain syndrome ," and this inflammatory oxidative stress OS in the hypothalamus of the brain is the underlying cause of brain fog.
Many people are deficient in vitamin B12 , but it often goes unnoticed 1. Symptoms can include difficulties with fatigue, memory, mental fogginess, and even depressed mood.
Vitamin B12 helps with normal functioning of the nervous system, including the brain. People with higher levels of vitamin B12 seem to have less brain shrinkage as they get older. Taking vitamin B12 when you are deficient can be helpful to address memory, mental clarity, overall energy, and depressed mood.
However, if you are not deficient in vitamin B12 a blood test will tell you , it may not be as helpful. A group of Canadian scientists recently studied the brain activity of fruit flies and found that acute fasting directly influences the stability of neuronal circuits, a type of wiring that dictates the flow of information in the brain and nervous system.
According to their paper, the cellular stress and lack of nutrition catalyzed by fasting blocks the synaptic activity of neurons that normally occurs in the brain, which essentially means that the brain slows down. And although a brain "slowing down" sounds undesirable generally speaking, it may actually be beneficial for brain health.
In fact, overactive synaptic activity has been associated 2 with diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other degenerative diseases.
So in a way, when we slow down our brain activity , it's possible that we are protecting the organ by allowing it to recharge. Results also showed an increase in ketone bodies due to fasting, which are compounds known to be neuroprotective 3 , essentially guarding brain cells against degenerating to the point of disease.
The ketogenic low-carb and high-fat diet has been used since the s as an extremely effective treatment for epilepsy 4 , even though the mechanism by which it works was mostly unknown. One can't discuss brain fog without mentioning rosemary.
This is a go-to essential oil to support memory and mental exhaustion, and the vibrant and oxide-rich smell can help snap you into the present moment.
It has a penchant for clearing the mind and alleviating mental fatigue. Inhalation has been shown to improve speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks 5. How-To: Make a roll-on blend for work by adding 6 drops rosemary oil, 3 drops sweet basil oil, and 2 drops peppermint oil into an ounce of sunflower oil or another carrier oil.
Try a cleanse that includes removing inflammatory brain foods like gluten, dairy, and processed foods to lift the fog from your brain. Don't be afraid of the word detox and temporarily removing your favorite foods from your diet. Our bodies are detoxing every day. This is just a revved-up version focusing on whole foods with balanced portions of lean protein, leafy greens, and healthy fats.
I discover the cause of brain fog and match it with the appropriate solution by running through a series of questions:.
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Close Banner. Meditation medically reviewed. Author: Lindsay Kellner. By Lindsay Kellner. Lindsay is a freelance writer and certified yoga instructor based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a journalism and psychology degree from New York University.
Enhancing mental clarity matter Ejhancing you are on your wellness journey, whether you're a seasoned yogi or Omega- for menstrual health ran Non-healing wounds first 5k, one Enhanfing remains true: Clearing the mind menyal easy. If mmental ever tried claarity Enhancing mental clarity anything remotely meditativelike a long Enhancin or Enhancing mental clarity down Enhwncing write—you're familiar with Enhancing mental clarity your to-do list unfurl, seeing thoughts buzz by begging to be tended to, even experiencing an unprecedented amount of itches on your face as you start to transition from your outer world to the inner one. For most of us, the truth is that our inner landscapes don't get the attention they deserve because our lives have infinite appealing distractions. But spending time with yourself is one of the best ways to feel centered and less anxious about what's going on around you. It doesn't have to be meditation, by the way: It can be mindful walking, doing something repetitive like knitting, flowing through asana—really anything that quiets the mind for you. Official websites clariy. gov A. gov website belongs to Enhancing mental clarity official government organization in the United States. gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
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