Investing in Yourself Mentally
Hmmm…where did I leave those keys? What did I come in this room for? I forgot what I was going to say? Or in my case – ‘you just asked me that question dad’. To which I respond, ‘what was the answer, I don’t remember.’
Being mentally responsive and perceptive is something you probably take for granted and don’t give a second thought to. Unfortunately your memory is a precious thing that, as we have seen, can be taken from you in the blink of an eye with the onset of diseases as we get older.
Taking care of your mind and investing in things that will keep it sharp is easy if you take the time to think about it. Loss of mental alertness is caused by a lack of regular sleep patterns and uninterrupted rest, lack of exercise, stress and mental laziness.
Investing in you is a foreign concept to those of you with people you have deemed to be more important to take care of. Mothers, for example, are unselfish and unwavering when it comes to their children. New mothers for example will feed their baby and settle them down while the rest of the family is eating and in the end, if she even eats, it will be with the baby still in her arms, by herself, or when everyone else has gone to bed.
Improving your concentration and focus should be something you do every day and if done consistently will pay off in spades. Experts suggest that investing in certain food and brain fitness items will go a long way to sharpening your mind. Brain fitness is an actual term that means “the capacity of a person to meet the various cognitive demands of life.”
• Word Searches
• Crossword puzzles
• Mind teasers
• Sudoku
• Scrabble
• Take a course in something new
• Read books that make you think
When I read the part about taking a course in something new, I suddenly understood why my children came home from school and said their head hurt. Learning new things are taxing and tiring, but education is an investment in their mental capacity. Teaching others is also something that keeps you sharp. Teaching a new colleague the ways of the office, or walking a volunteer through what you do on a daily basis certainly makes you think about things you do without thinking. So when you are dreading the task, think of it as investing in yourself.
In addition to brain exercises, physical fitness helps your mental stability and focus. Studies have shown, and I have personal experiences that prove, that aerobic exercising several times a week improves self-esteem. Regular exercise clears your mind of everything else that was there and forces you to focus on the task at hand. Investing in a pair of running shoes and tackling a new and challenging sport will pay off in more ways than one.
The phrase you are what you eat certainly applies when it comes to investing in your mental sharpness and stability. A deficiency of Vitamin B and Omega 3 Fatty Acids lead to poor cognitive function.
There are certain foods and seeds and natural health alternatives that have been linked to mental stamina and are worth the investment including; green tea, dark chocolate, garlic fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. If your diet does not include those foods, seeds, whole grains and flaxseed are also an option.
Antioxidant-rich foods that are tasty and good for mental stamina include; black plums, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, sweet cherries, avocado, oranges and red grapes. Dark green, leafy vegetables and orange fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and grapefruits, are also rich in antioxidants.
In the end investing in you in the ways we have discussed will result in a sound mind and a sound body and according to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Concentration is the secret of strength."
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"Gary Gzik is a Corporate Trainer and CEO of the business consulting company BizXcel Inc. which owns and operates Getting to Someday, a place where people go to achieve their goals and dreams.
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