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Reclaiming Your Focus
Have you ever had 'full plate syndrome'? That's when you've got so many things happening in your brain that there's no more room for anything else. In fact, if you do put something new there, something else falls off the other side because there's just no more room. This is a all-too-common occurrence when you have a busy life and lots 'on your plate.'
What are the symptoms of this?
- You keep misplacing things - "I know I put that here somewhere..."
- Completing tasks takes longer than it used to
- You aren't remembering everything that needs to get done
- You forget things people say
- You find yourself more frustrated than before because you're just not thinking as clearly
If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone. As we get older such events are increasingly common.
Fortunately, there are things that you can do to improve the situation. Here is a list of some of the most powerful ways to achieve better mental focus and clarity:
- Regularly doing the right kind of exercise for your body type
- Eating whole, natural (ideally organic) foods that keep your internal balance processes functioning optimally
- Practicing effective stress-management techniques
- Drinking plenty of purified water
- Discovering and correcting any brain imbalances (neurotransmitters)
- Taking herbal and nutritional supplements that can support brain function
Each one of these contributes to keep your brain healthy and your thinking clear.
I'd like to address the last one first - namely taking herbal and nutritional supplements. This is almost always the one that people want, because they want a quick fix. And, sometimes this is enough to make a difference.
The problem arises when the rest of your body (digestion, breathing, elimination, etc.) isn't working up to par. In such cases you aren't completely digesting, absorbing and utilizing these supplements and they tend to go to waste.
When ever part of your body is working at its peak, taking these supplements can make a huge difference, or even be totally unnecessary because you're already where you want to be.
Let's talk about each of the others:
Exercise – Research shows that exercise has a powerful effect on mental performance. If you aren't already clear on the type of exercise that will work best for you, it will pay to figure this out. What are some of the options?
- Aerobic exercise – jogging, dancercise, tae-bo – anything that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time
- Strength training – lifting weights, isometrics, body dynamics are all examples of this
- Stretching even stretching is a kind of exercise
- Focus training this refers to yoga, tai chi, and certain qigong exercises. Even though they look slow and relaxed on the outside, these can be surprisingly effective forms of exercise since they both strengthen and stretch the body
Eating Right If you've read much about diet, you know that there are almost as many different diet plans as there are humans. Why is this?
The best explanation is that just as in clothing, one type of diet simply doesn't work for everybody.
You can, if you become really good at listening to your body's signals, discover for yourself which foods energize you and which ones don't. This process can take several years of paying close attention.
Another option is metabolic typing, which is part of our Personalized Nutritional Assessment service. This will trim at least 1-2 years off of the learning curve and get you closer to your goal quickly.
Stress Management Stress has a huge impact on mental clarity and effective thinking. While you can't always control the outside sources of stress, you can control how you respond to them.
Some techniques that are especially helpful for this include:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Deep breathing
- Shifting focus to something else
- Using your social support system by talking with friends and family
Water Your brain cannot function clearly without enough water in your system. The right amount of water is slightly different for each person because of weight and other factors. A good general rule is to sip water all day long. This is because your body only absorbs a few ounces at a time.
Also, don't wait until you are thirsty; if you do, you've already waited too long.
Balance Your Brain This is one of the things that is difficult, if not impossible to do on your own, but can be very powerful. As you live your life, the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain (the chemicals that allow our brain to function correctly) become depleted and imbalanced. Stress, incorrect diet, drug use and other factors affect your brain in powerful ways.
One of the best ways to correct this is to first understand your current status. This can be done with a simple urine test which will identify which neurotransmitters are low and which are out of balance.
Once you identify these, the deficiencies and imbalances can be corrected using high-quality natural supplements, focused on restoring the correct levels. We offer this in our clinic.
Yes, this does seem like a lot, but if you think about it, you are already eating, breathing, and drinking water. Why not do these in a way that actually supports your mental clarity?
If you'd like a comprehensive program to make the process of applying this information in a way that is uniquely effective for you, contact our office and set up an appointment to discuss our Wellness Track Comprehensive Health-Building Program. We can be reached at (775) 827-6901 or you can email by clicking here.
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