5 Tips to Boost Your Brain Health
Keeping your brain in top shape is key to handling everything from back-to-back meetings to exam
prep. A well-cared-for brain helps you stay sharp, think clearly, and manage stress with ease. Here
are six powerful, neuroscience-backed tips to enhance brain health, along with easy ways to try each
one today
Take Short Mental Breaks Regularly
It turns out that short mental breaks can do wonders for memory and focus. When we give our brain
a quick rest, it has time to reset, which boosts our ability to concentrate and remember details. This
break time lets your brain’s decision-making centre – the prefrontal cortex – recharge and come back
stronger
Practical Tips:
- Use the 25-5 Method: Work for 25
minutes, then take a 5-minute breather. This
mini reset can improve focus and prevent
mental burnout. - Get Moving During Breaks: Stand up,
stretch, or walk around to get blood flowing
to your brain, which helps keep you alert. - Change Your View: Look out a window
or step outside if you can. This quick change
in scenery helps refresh your mind.
- Use Deep Breathing for Focus
Deep breathing is a quick, simple way to calm your mind. When you slow down your breathing, it
reduces stress hormones and brings more oxygen to your brain, helping you concentrate.
Neuroscience has shown this can be especially helpful when you’re feeling exhausted or trying to
stay focused.
Practical Tips:
- Try Box Breathing: Inhale for four seconds,
hold for four, exhale for four, and pause for four.
Repeat this a few times to relax and refocus. - Morning Breathing Routine: Start your day
with a few minutes of deep breathing to set a calm and
clear mindset. - Breathe Before Big Tasks: Use a few deep breaths before diving into a meeting or
study session to help centre your mind.
3. Engage Your Senses While Learning
Combining senses – like hearing and seeing – helps strengthen memory. For instance, if you readsomething aloud, you’re using both visual and auditory pathways, which makes it easier to recall.This multi-sensory approach activates different parts of your brain, helping information stick.
Practical Tips:
- Read Aloud: Saying what you’re learning helps commit it
to memory by engaging both your sight and hearing. - Draw Visuals: Diagrams or mind maps can help cement
ideas, especially for complex topics. - Teach Someone Else: Explaining what you’ve learned
to someone else is one of the best ways to solidify
information.
4. Get Some Sunlight in the Morning
Natural light, especially in the morning, is extremely important for regulating your body’s internalclock. Just a few minutes of sunlight can boost your mood, increase your focus, and even help yousleep better at night. It’s all about helping your brain release serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical.
Practical Tips:
- Step Outside for 10-15 Minutes: Try to get
outside between 8-10 am for a dose of natural light. - Sit by a Window: If you’re indoors, set up near
a window to benefit from sunlight while working. - Limit Evening Screen Time: Reducing screen
exposure in the evening supports natural sleep patterns
and brain recovery.
- Write Down Your Thoughts
Journaling helps declutter your mind and reduces pressure.
Writing things down can improve focus and emotional
balance by allowing you to process your thoughts.
Neuroscience backs this up, showing that expressing our
thoughts on paper can help us think more clearly.
Practical Tips:
- Start a Daily To-Do List: Listing out your top
priorities for the day helps create a clear, focused
mindset. - Reflect Each Evening: Take a few minutes at night to jot down any wins or challenges.
This practice can ease stress and give you a sense of achievement. - Summarise New Information: Writing down new insights or things you analyzed
during the day can help solidify them in your memory.
Looking to improve your brain health
Keeping your brain healthy doesn’t need to be time-consuming. By adding small habits – like taking
short breaks, adding natural boosters, deep breathing, using multi-sensory learning, soaking up
morning sunlight, and journaling – you’re building a foundation for mental clarity and resilience. Each
of these steps is easy to integrate into your routine, supporting memory, focus, and overall well-
being. Start with one or two and see the difference in how clear, calm, and focused your mind can
be.
Interested in learning more about optimising brain health for peak performance? If you’re ready to
dive deeper and learn strategies to optimise brain health for peak performance.
