What are you doing right now?

Like me, are scrolling through Instagram or Youtube, taking in loads of information and downloading it to your brain. Simultaneously, you may be multi-tasking. Perhaps, you are walking, watching a movie, at an event, or cooking dinner.  Whatever you are doing, your brain is on overdrive taking in all the information that your eyes can take in. Not to mention the focus it takes for your brain to focus on a particular task. Have you ever thought about brain health? Sure we know about physical and mental health, but what about our actual brains?

Our brains are constantly working! The brain uses a ton of energy every day and night. It never stops and sometimes are brain is overdrive, it can’t function properly, and it is subjected to brain fog. That isn’t good for you brain health! A healthy brain needs rest (i.e. unfocused activity). Recent studies show that we need unfocused activity just as much as we need focused activity, maybe even more!

Habits that will help your brain health

Look at your daily habits. How much time do you spend actively using your brain? In order for our brain to function properly and efficiently, it needs adequate rest.  The brain needs focused activity ( learning a new skill, a new language, critical thinking), but it also needs unfocused (going for a walk, drawing, and meditation) activity to keep things moving along. If you are stressed out, not getting enough sleep, and or overworking you are harming your brain health!

Below I gathered some tips to help you increase your unfocused activity and help you combat the harmful habits that are draining your brain.

Detoxing from Social Media

Ooo boy, this is a tough one for most people. Social media is highly addictive and it is used for different reasons both business and personal. It easy to get overwhelm with the constant updates, notifications, and information. Leave some room for living! Enjoy your weekend off from Social media or participate in social media detox challenge!

Leaving your phone behind for a day or two

Sometimes we need to go off grid from every one and this okay! Give yourself time from calls and emails, by going out with a phone. Before you do this let your friends and loved ones know that you will be phoneless for a few days. This can be liberating. You will notice how much time you truly have! You can use this time to do so much! Like get so much needed sleep! Have a business plan that you have written down yet? Haven’t finished that book you purchased on Amazon? Yea, use this time to catch up on things you are behind on or rest it away.

Exercise enough but don’t exercise too much

Being a couch potato does not help your brain! In fact there are harmful affects to having a sedentary lifestyle! To avoid preventable diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Add some physical fitness to your daily routine. You don’t have to train like Naomi Osaka or Lebron James, you don’t even need to practice running a 3k to get some benefits from exercising. All you have to do is move every single day for at least 30 minutes to help your brain health.

Find creative ways to reduce stress

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to SLEEP. I put that on caps because many of us don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep! The hours aren’t enough, we must get DEEP sleep. In order to get good sleep we must find creative ways to reduce our stress and our overactive brains. Creative ways to reduce stress is to start journaling, color in coloring books, sing, acting classes, yoga, roller skate, etc.  Your brain works best when it is stress free and when it is in it’s creative mojo.

Eat better

We could all eat better. Even athletes and certified nutritionist can improve on their diet. Eat more nutrient dense whole foods such as fresh and lean meat, leafy greens, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Processed foods are neither good for you brain health or your waistline. If you do eat processed foods practice mindfulness and eat those foods in moderation. Try not to eat processed foods every day. If your budget affords you a little bit of luxury buy organic. Candy, chocolate, potato chips are what Pepsi used to considered fun foods.