Give your brain a break

The brain is the most complex part of the body. It is the seat of intelligence. It controls behaviour and interprets the world. A healthy, functioning brain is the source of those qualities that define each person as an individual. It needs to be looked after.

For centuries, very little was known about the brain. The way it functions puzzled both scientists and philosophers. Now, neurological and behavioural science is making progress at unlocking the brain’s secrets. We’ve learned more in the past 20 years than in the previous 20 centuries, and this has given us some hints on how we can keep our brains healthy — especially when living stressful working lives.

You need to give your brain a break. It is estimated that your brain might have to make up to 35,000 decisions during a typical working day, which can lead to mental fatigue. Having to process so much information in our hyperconnected world simply adds to the stress. Several studies have found that the maximum time for sustained attention, for most people, is somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes. You then need to shift your focus elsewhere.

Ten simple ideas to help your overworked brain

1. Shut down your screens. Also, put your phone on “Do not disturb” and close your laptop. This is a signal to your brain that you’re shifting your attention. Then, do one or two of the following activities:
2. Go outside for five minutes. Daylight, especially sunshine, increases your production of vitamin D and serotonin — and it just feels good.
3. Sit and let your mind wander for five minutes. Besides being relaxing, it can have the added benefit of helping in problem-solving through so-called “creative incubation”.
4. Be physically active. It doesn’t have to be a full workout. A walk around the block, some stretching exercises or even using a standing desk can help recharge your batteries.
5. Take a few minutes to do something you love. That’s the idea behind all those games in Silicon Valley offices. You switch focus and lift your mood.
6. Practise simple meditation. You don’t need to wear saffron robes and sit for hours in the lotus position in order to meditate. Just sit quietly and follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and out. If your attention wanders, simply return to thinking about your breath. Do this for five minutes.
7. Take a short power nap. This might not be easy to do in an office — although some offices have sleep pods now. But if you are working from home, a short ten-minute snooze is a great brain break.
8. Drink a glass of water slowly. Also, splash some water on your face — hot to relax; cold to energize yourself.
9. Tidy your desk. It feels relaxing and useful at the same time.
10. Take ten slow, deep breaths. As you take a breath in through your nose, imagine a balloon being blown up in your stomach. When you exhale, breathe out through your mouth as though blowing out through a straw. Deep breathing has been proven to help lower your stress levels.

The myth of multitasking

We often get tied up in the work we are doing. We try to save time by multitasking — checking emails while writing a report or responding to a text message while sitting in a meeting. This does not make us more productive. Multitasking slows down thinking and output. Forcing our minds to switch back and forth quickly between tasks fatigues the frontal lobe, slowing its efficiency and performance. A brain break gives you much needed time to rest your eyes, move around and get more blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. It requires some self-discipline. Very often, we are only reminded that we have been sitting without a break when our bodies protest. So set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to take a brain break.

Taking some simple steps to keep your brain healthy can also have long-term benefits. It can help reduce the risk of dementia later in life. Changes in the brain connected to dementia begin many years before any symptoms appear. There is no sure way to prevent dementia, of course, because genetics and age play decisive roles, but taking care of your brain will help increase the odds in your favour.