8 Health Habits That Improve Focus and Cognitive Performance at Work
Unfortunately, being present at work doesn’t always translate into being productive.
This can be incredibly frustrating for anyone on the clock, whether a junior executive or a senior manager – you’ve probably had to deal with situations where you need to focus and solve problems, but simply can’t put your mind to it. For employees today, this is an increasingly common problem because of challenges that arise from our lifestyles and the modern workplace itself. Statistics paint a grim picture of mental health at workplaces globally, with more than half of all American workers reporting daily stress.
Despite this seemingly bleak picture, there’s a lot that you can do to empower yourself and transform your outlook at work. It begins with better self-care and the adoption of some simple health habits that are proven to support mental wellbeing, ultimately improving learning, memory, retention, and cognitive function, so that you can achieve peak performance.
Health Habits For Improved Focus and Cognitive Performance
1.Rejuvenate Your Mind with Adequate Sleep
Sleep is often the first casualty in our race to be more productive, but this is usually counterproductive because of the critical role it plays in brain health. Studies show that following a disciplined sleep routine with adequate sleep every day promotes improvements in learning, retention, and problem-solving, also making it easier to focus on tasks. To prioritize sleep, try to cultivate a daily sleep schedule with adequate time to de-stress and prepare for sleep every night.
2. Fix Your Gut Health
The past decade has seen tremendous advances in our understanding of the gut-brain axis, which refers to the intricate connection between the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. Imbalances in gut microbiota (bacteria that reside in the gut) are known to increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. To counter this, eat a balanced diet, primarily comprised of whole foods, while limiting processed foods, and try to consume probiotic-rich foods like yogurt daily. You can also consider taking high-quality probiotic supplements recommended by experts.
Additionally, maintaining optimal vitamin D levels is crucial for gut health, as vitamin D plays a role in regulating immune function and supporting the gut microbiome. Deficiencies in vitamin D have been linked to increased inflammation and digestive issues. If you're looking for ways to supplement your intake, you can explore some of the best vitamin D supplements recommended by the dietitians.
3. Start Keeping a Journal
Journaling is often recommended as a coping strategy for common depressive and anxiety disorders, as it helps you express your thoughts and emotions in a safe manner. This allows you to examine your thoughts, identify problematic feelings or situations that trigger stress, and then develop strategies to better respond to such feelings or stressors. These benefits will help you significantly at the workplace, and the practice of journaling can also help you to focus and get clarity on problems that may otherwise feel overwhelming.
4. Try Using a Digital Calendar and Planner
Workplace stress can make it much harder to get things done because it weakens your concentration and interferes with problem-solving. On the other hand, the use of apps and tools such as digital calendars or planners can help to organize your thoughts and work hours for better time management. This reduces mental clutter, improves organization, and gives you a structured approach to meeting goals, which helps lower stress and anxiety, ultimately benefiting your performance.
5. Learn New Skills or Hobbies
Learning a new skill is one of the best ways to keep your mind active and your brain healthy. Skills don’t just have to be work-related, but can include activities like learning to play a musical instrument or learning a new language. These activities can also double as hobbies, helping to relieve stress and benefiting mental health. Continued learning as adults is regarded as important as it provides cognitive stimulation, which enhances memory formation and reduces the risk of age-related decline.
6. Adopt an Exercise Routine
Staying mentally fit isn’t just about exercising your brain power – it’s also about staying physically active and fit. While improved cardiovascular health offers obvious benefits of better blood flow to the brain, studies show that physical activities directly affect brain health, increasing neuroplasticity and boosting cognitive function. In other words, an active lifestyle will allow you to sharpen your mental acuity so that you can be more productive without having to put in as much effort.
7. Avoid Alcohol and Tobacco
This should be a no-brainer, as both heavy drinking and smoking are associated with significant damage to brain cells, causing brain atrophy or shrinkage. These effects are even more pronounced when the behaviors are combined. The risk is also greatly elevated for people who engage in heavy drinking, such as binge drinking, even though they may not engage in daily drinking.
8. Explore Employee Mental Health Programs
There is growing awareness and recognition among employers today about the importance of employee wellbeing and mental health, with many organizations also offering support services. Talk to your HR to find out what kind of employee mental health programs they provide and if these include stress management and counseling services.
