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86 billion is the number of nerve cells in our brain. It is they, these cells, that control us, our body as a whole. And if so, it would be logical to carefully take care of them. Alas, we don’t. Moreover, most of us do not even think about the fact that special attention should be paid to the brain. It’s time to change this attitude.
1. Sedentary lifestyle
Modern life, with all its conveniences, opportunities and temptations, makes us slower and less creative and smart. This is the unfavorable verdict of scientists. We move less and less – and why, if you can work remotely, only occasionally going to the store for groceries … However, they can also be ordered with home delivery.
The consequences of this for our body can be very deplorable: a sedentary lifestyle is one of the causes of heart disease, obesity, depression, dementia and cancer. In addition, it affects certain neurons in our brain, and not for the better. It’s time to remember a simple truth: move well, both for physical and mental health.
Movement triggers the release of endorphins, which make us feel better. Moreover: spending a lot of time at the computer, we begin to hold our breath when we type (you may have noticed this yourself). As a result, the blood is less oxygenated and we feel tired, we have difficulty focusing, our thoughts are confused.
The good news is that solving the problem is easier than it seems: you don’t have to sign up for a fitness club. It will be enough and 20-30 minutes of movement per day. Following the popular “10 step rule” will also help. And do not say that you have no time to do this: in this way you only deceive yourself. Nikola Tesla and Charles Darwin, Steven Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg – they all found time for this.
Even with the busiest work schedule, walking can be combined with talking on the phone. Try to group all calls by time and go for a walk.
Another way to get a little healthier is to buy a special office desk that you can only stand at: this way you will be forced to move more and burn more calories.
2. Information overload
Yes, we live in an age of information overload. So, the average American daily consumes it in the amount of about 34 gigabytes – 350% more than three decades ago. This includes reading emails and notifications, scrolling through the social media feed, chatting with others, and meeting. Not surprisingly, under such conditions, our ability to concentrate decreases.
Some of us proudly say that we read books and articles diagonally, listen to podcasts, while checking email and reading messages. In fact, there is nothing to be proud of here. Any piece of information can prevent us from focusing. For example, if you try to focus on a task while remembering that there are unread emails in your mail, it lowers your effective IQ by 10 points.
The surest way to regain your ability to concentrate is to choose more carefully what content to consume. Instead of reading three small notes or posts, read one big article and you will regain your ability to maintain focus. Also, learn to be silent whenever possible: silence and stillness have a positive effect on the body and mind. It is an effective antidote to information overload.
3. Loud music
Training, walking, answering work messages – many of us are used to doing this to music, and when we hear our favorite melody, turn it up automatically on the machine. This can be detrimental to hearing, especially if we’re wearing headphones: once our ears get used to a certain volume level, we have to make extra efforts to hear familiar sounds around us. It can also affect the ability to remember information.
To protect your ears, experts advise taking off your headphones from time to time and holding them at arm’s length to try to figure out if you can hear the music. If so, turn down the volume and try again. In addition, if there is no possibility not to listen to music (for example, you work in open space and this is the only way you can concentrate), take breaks from time to time, giving your ears and brain a rest.
Also, try not to be too often where loud music is played: at concerts, festivals, clubs. A number of studies show that it can be harmful to the brain.
4. Reality show
According to psychiatrist Marcia Sirota, they are to our brain what unhealthy food is to our teeth and stomach. What we watch affects us on an unconscious level. Imagine how “television trash” affects our mood and self-awareness … In other words, “tell me what you are watching, and I will tell you who you are.”
Just as a dripping faucet can waste liters of valuable water a day, we also risk wasting our brain power by simply consuming the wrong content.
5. The habit of taking on more than you should and doing things worse than you should.
It’s about the vaunted multitasking. It is customary to list it among other requirements for employees, but the fact is that nature did not conceive us to multitask. It is impossible, doing two things at the same time, to give them the same attention. However, many try to do this, fearing otherwise they will not have time to complete all the tasks from a huge to-do list.
According to Clifford Nass, professor of psychology at Stanford University, modern multitasking does not save us time, as expected, but makes us spend more time, killing concentration and creativity. Nass studied a group of people who considered themselves multitasking; it turned out that they cope with all kinds of mental tasks worse than others, do not know how to weed out unimportant things, manage their working memory and are constantly distracted. It also turned out that people who are constantly doing several things at the same time have less control over their emotions and express empathy.
How to be? Learn to prioritize, focus only on the important, cut off the excess and do only one thing at a given moment in time. Once you learn how to do this, you will no longer feel pressured by the fact that “there is so much more to do.” And by releasing the pressure, you can become more creative and better at getting things done.
6. Sugar consumption
Non-obvious point, isn’t it? The fact is that we live in a world of sugar: it is found in almost all processed foods, and their consumption can lead to mood swings, depression, decreased concentration, poor memory and slower thought processes. In other words, after eating something, we can start to think worse, but we don’t even understand why.
To make sure that this does not happen to you, experts advise writing down everything you eat for a couple of days, fixing the composition of the products, and after analyzing what is written, try to exclude groceries from the diet.
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The paradox of the brain is that this powerful organ that controls us is in great need of our care. Having got rid of the bad habits described above, not forgetting to eat right, sleep well, drink clean water, we will soon feel changes for the better.