For a lot of people concentrating on a specific task is almost impossible. This lack of concentration results in disinterest and their work not being completed on time. A minor interference like getting up to grab a glass of water can cause your momentum to go to ashes. But this is not something that can’t be overcome. What you need to do is develop a strong willpower to adopt a lifestyle that will increase memory and concentration at the same time.
Tips to increase Memory and Concentration
There is a misconception that as you grow older you lose the ability to improve your mental skills. Scientists have described the phenomenon of ‘Neuroplasticity’ as the ability to adapt and change irrespective of the age factor.
Here is what you can do to concentrate better in you daily life routine:
Tip 1: Kick start your day with a yoga routine
Yoga is a mind-body exercise that is acknowledged by scientists and researchers throughout the globe. This tried and tested method of reducing mental stress, anxiety and depression have proved to be productive for better mental health and improved concentration. Most importantly, what yoga does is it improves your balance and reduces muscular tension thus giving you a sense of coordination and guaranteeing an increased concentration and memory.
There are a lot of yoga poses that you can try to calm your nerves and let one thing become the center of your attention – Bakasana (Crane Pose), Padmasana (Lotus Pose), Tadasana (Tree Stand Pose). If your concentration and memory problems are really getting you into troubles, yoga is the first remedy you should consider adapting!
There are a lot of youtube channels dedicated to yoga tutorials. Check out this amazing video for beginners:
Tip 2: Give your brain a workout to increase memory and concentration
I’m sure you have solved a lot of problems and done a lot of extraordinary things in your life. But what is the point if you go about doing the same things to tackle your issues? Take a different course of action every time when faced with a difficult scenario. Discover different ways of doing the same things. It will not only increase your ability to think and discover but also give you a sense of confidence about yourself and your memory.
Check out this youtube video for some amazing brain workout tips:
Tip 3: Make sure the environment is comfortable
When studying for an exam or preparing a presentation, make sure you have put away all the distractions. One more thing to do is having a chair that makes you feel comfortable and not want to get up! Some people even listen to instrumental music or piano that improves their ability to concentrate.
- Set aside all your electronic devices that you don’t need in your studies.
- Also, make it a habit of using a dedicated calculator, not from your cell phone.
- Hang some motivational quotations on the walls to make you realize that YOU CAN DO THIS!
Tip 4: Get a good night’s sleep
Sleeping hours really make a difference in how you perform during the day. Most of the adults need from 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep to function at their best. Whereas, sleep deprivation results in reduced decisiveness, critical thinking skills and creativity. What you can do to make sure that you sleep well at night!?
- Develop a sleep schedule for yourself. Make sure you follow it.
- Stay active during the day so that you sleep like a horse during the night.
- Reduce the amount of caffeine you take in.
- Do not let yourself indulge in any sort of social media websites, movies or seasons.
Tip 5: Eat a brain-boosting diet
Our body and brain both need to be fed with the right things to function at their best. There are some ingredients that should necessarily be a part of your diet to enhance brain activity:
- Drink a lot of water. Breakfast should be a compulsory meal of your day.
- Keep your calories in check.
- If you are not a fan of seafood, opt for another source of Omega-3s.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables.
- Drink herbal tea. Most commonly used herbal tea is green tea.
Tip 6: Stay active in your Friends Circle
Healthy relationships have always been a source of content and happiness in a person’s life. Our brain responds differently to happiness and sorrow. If you make yourself happy by being with the people you love and the people who appreciate you, it can considerably increase your cognitive abilities. Humans are repeatedly called as social animals. Our chances of surviving in isolation are next to zero.
Indulging in conversations and interacting with others maybe the best kind of brain exercise. It has been proved through research that a vital support system is necessary for a healthy emotional health as well as blooming brain health.
- Volunteer at different community activities.
- Arrange meet-ups for friends and family.
- Keep in touch.
Tip 7: Keep your stress levels under check
The most damaging thing to your mental health is stress. Stress is directly related to the lost of and retrieval of memories. Thus, reducing your ability to recall the stuff that you once remembered.
There are many tips and tricks to keep your stress levels under control:
- Stay away from the world of fantasy. Be realistic.
- Develop a practical approach towards life.
- Do not keep anything inside. Express yourself.
- If you are religious, make your religion a source of serenity for you. Talk to your God.
- Take a break. Go on a vacation.
Here is a list of places you can go to take a break from your stressful life.
Also, check out this article to get ideas for your next island vacation – Most Beautiful Islands in the World.
Meditation to keep Stress Levels under control
Meditation helps you to cleanse your thoughts by focusing your attention on one thing and wiping away all the negative notions you have about your life. Medical implications of meditation show that it is directly related to the improvement of focus, creativity, concentration, memory and reasoning skills.
These are the steps you can follow to develop a basic meditation routine:
Locate a quiet place:
A perfectly quiet spot is precious to the establishment of your meditating skills. You can ask your family to leave you alone for some time or find a quiet corner in your garden where you can be by yourself while meditating. It will seem tough in the beginning to not be distracted by even the smallest of things but with time and practice, you will be able to meditate anywhere.
Decide on a Comfortable Position:
The traditional position for meditating is sitting cross-legged but that is not recommended for the beginners. You can really employ any position – lying down, walking or sitting. You can also start your meditation experience by sitting in a chair or using a wall to support your back. The key is to find a position that is most comfortable and does not let you get distracted.
Control your Breathing:
Meditation owes its soothing characteristics to controlled breathing. It helps mind and body relax. Control your breathing by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Your breath makes a sound. Listen to it. Feel the rising and lowering of your stomach by placing a hand on it. Breathing in and out should be at regular intervals. By controlling your breath you are allowing the intake of more oxygen per breath into your lungs.
Focus on something:
Having one center of attention or none at all is the key to productive meditation. Even those who have been practicing since a long time find it hard to not let their minds wander. When this happens you just have to bring your thoughts back towards what you were focusing on.
Tip 8: Be emotionally independent:
It can become almost impossible for you to concentrate on you life/career when your emotions are all over the place and you are affected by the tiniest of things. The key to a joyous self-reliant life is not letting anyone dictate how you feel. Be it your parents, siblings, friends, co-workers – you emotions should only be controlled by you and only YOU! Don’t look for people to make you happy. But it does not mean that you should stop enjoying the company of your friends! There is a fine line between ‘depending on someone’ and ‘being with someone’. Identify that yourself. Appreciate their efforts to make you happy whenever you can. The only way you can increase memory and concentration is by waving goodbye to your emotionally erratic tendencies. This is what you can do to not care about what people have to offer:
- Find a way to be grateful.
- Don’t get jealous.
- Happiness is not something extrinsic. It sprouts from within you and you have to nourish it.
- Be good to other people.
- Realize the fact that everything is going to end one day. Instead of self-loathing in your misery, you should try to make your days brighter.
Find out here the secrets of becoming mentally and emotionally strong:
Tip 9: Take practical steps to support learning and memory
Increase memory and concentration by following these basic steps:
Stay Attentive: The key to learning is paying attention. If you have learned something once the chances are that you will be able to memorize it better. If you easily get distracted, take your study material and find a quiet place to focus.
Use as many senses as you can: Information has different dimensions to it. You should relate every piece of information with a specific color, taste, texture and smell. Your brain can then easily interpret or remember the encoded information. Even if you are habitual of visual learning, reading your material out loud will increase your chances of remembering it.
Connect the dots: What it means is you should relate the information with what you already know. You will be able better recall the new information. For example; you have memorized a new address and it is in the street where your friend lives. You can memorize this address better because of your friend living in that street.
Start from the Basics: If something is so complex that it boggles your mind, you should start by digging into the basic idea it is conveying.
Learn, Memorize, Repeat: Most important thing is repeating. Review what you have learned on the same day you have learned it and after suitable intervals.
Tip 10: Remind yourself of what happened during the day
When you lay down to go to sleep, spare 1 or 2 minutes and go through what happened during the day. From when you woke up in the morning to when you lied down to sleep. Try to remember every single detail of your routine – where you went, the things you noticed, every single person you talked to, whatever you picked up, whatever you put down, how much time you spent on the phone or social media, how long was your lunch break, what you ate for your lunch. You will not be able to recall everything the very first day. With time you will notice that you are getting better at remembering you daily routines. This is a brain exercise to sharpen your senses and increase memory and concentration without you realizing.
Enjoy this TEDTalk and learn how you can become a memory master:
What else can you do to increase memory and concentration?
- Force yourself to do the things in an abnormal way – brush your teeth with a different hand, adapt another way to tie your laces etc.
- Use different tricks to memorize words like mnemonics and flashcards. Flashcards are an effective way to increase memory and concentration.
- You can do your chores with your eyes closed given that you know your surroundings quite well.
- Eat different cuisines. Try to guess the ingredients. It will increase memory and concentration by making you focus on the sensations your taste buds are producing.
- Indulge yourself in a creative hobby like knitting, painting, baking etc.
You might also take help from this article – Top 20 Things to Do in Summer.