Improve Your Mental Clarity With These 6 Brain-Boosting Habits

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When it comes to boosting your mental clarity, you’ve likely read that you need to take up brain-enhancing activities like reading, crossword puzzles and learning a new language. While it’s true that these activities can contribute to your overall mental health, factors that have an even larger effect on your mental clarity involve habits in which you partake on a daily basis. Everything from the amount of sleep you get to the foods you eat to the people you hang out with shapes the way your brain grows and functions. If you constantly feel as if you’re in a mental fog, it may be time to take a good look at your daily routines and reshape them to include brain-enhancing ones. Below are six tips to help you get started.

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1. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness refers to one’s ability to regulate and control his or her attention or, more precisely, on what to focus. By practicing mindfulness on a daily basis, you can learn to take control of your own mind and the things you think about. Because mindfulness requires you to live in the moment rather than in the past or future, it prevents worry from consuming your life, self-criticism from getting in the way of you achieving your goals and procrastination from getting in the way of your getting meaningful work done.

2. Focus on one thing at a time

You, like a lot of people, may assume that multitasking is a great way to shorten your to-do list in a small space of time. The reality, however, is that trying to juggle multiple tasks at once can make it much more difficult for you to get complete any single job. Moreover, it takes away from the quality of your work, as multitasking hinders your ability to focus on the details that truly matter. If you want to get more done in the right way, allocate time to each individual task.

3. Budget your time

Speaking of allocating your time…time is a resource, just like money, and as you do with money, you should learn to budget it wisely. If you have multiple looming deadlines or several items on your to-do list, decide how much time is reasonable to spend on each chore, and do not let yourself go over your time budget. Budgeting your time will not only give you an idea of how much time you should realistically devote to certain tasks but also, it will encourage you to follow through with tip two.

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4. Maintain a healthy gut

A substantial body of research shows that there is a strong link between gut health and mental clarity. By influencing the balance and types of bacteria present in your gut, you may be able to lower your stress levels, improve cognitive function and boost your mood. To enhance your gut health, incorporate healthy foods and supplements.

5. Take breaks

It’s unhealthy to focus on any one task for long stretches of time. To deter long-term effects of prolonged focus, which may include eye strain, back pain, and headaches, your brain will revolt by making it difficult for you to concentrate. Take your dip in mental clarity as a sign that it’s time to get up and move. Stretching, walking, dancing or healthy snacking for 10 to 15 minutes may be all you need to do regain clarity.

6. Get plenty of sleep

Chronic sleep deprivation can have many adverse side effects, including increased blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. However, research shows that it can have a substantial effect on your mental health. According to findings, lack of sleep can cause emotional instability, long-term memory loss, feelings of confusion or, in worst-case scenarios, brain shrinkage. Be sure to get a decent six to nine hours of sleep each night. If an underlying health condition such as insomnia or sleep apnea is preventing you from achieving quality slumber, talk to your doctor about viable solutions.

Your level of mental clarity can drastically affect your overall quality of life. Fortunately, boosting it may require little more than making simple changes to your daily habits. Begin with the six changes above to see a swift improvement.

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