Spring Cleaning Your Mind

As Spring approaches, it is the perfect time to clear your mind, make changes and set goals for your wellbeing and happiness as Spring always feels like such a time of renewal and awakening.  We often use this as a time to ‘spring clean’ our homes, but doing a ‘clean up’ of our mind and brain can really help to feel like starting the season with a new outlook.  Here are my top tips to follow to allow you to do this:

A Good Night’s Sleep – This will leave you feeling refreshed and having regular sleep is critical to your brain’s health.  Sleep improves memory and helps to deal with stress more effectively.  So, refresh your brain by getting enough sleep.

Exercise – Research is increasingly showing that being physically fit is vital to your brain’s current and future health.  Studies have also demonstrated that exercise can indeed make us smarter.  For those wo exercise on a regular basis do better on mental tests, have better memories and are better at paying attention.

Eat Well – A healthy diet contributes to a healthy mind.  Certain deficiencies can lead to mental confusion and memory problems such vitamin B12 deficiency.  Fatty acids are also essential for good brain function as they help to protect the brain and aid oxygenation.  Fish, nuts and seeds are an excellent source of these fatty acids.

Meditation – We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that meditation is just for relaxation, but there has been lots of research to show the powerful impact that meditating can have on both the mind and body.  Meditation is powerful and can lower stress, improve memory, give better sleep and improved attention.  A study found that the brain is able to process certain types of information more efficiently during meditation and by letting your mind wander during meditation, this just may be one of the best ways to reduce stress and increase concentration. 

Manage Your Stress – Stress can really start to control your body and mind.  It can impede your memory, suppress your immune system and make it difficult to sleep well.  Fortunately, there are actions you can take to help keep your stress levels in check and better manage the daily stresses that you have to deal with.

Start by developing a ‘Stress Relief Plan’ to suit your life.  Identify your sources of stress and think about the things that you can do to minimize or cope with such pressures.  These are just a few things that you can do to keep your brain in ‘tip top’ shape.