Five ways to clear foggy brains and improve cognitive well-being

The other day, my friend Kristina told me that one evening she unintentionally locked her husband in a downstairs part of their house. She had known he was down there, but while distractedly locking the door for the night, forgot completely. She didn’t realize what she’d done until she saw a text from her husband the next morning asking her to please let him out. “I couldn’t believe I did that to him,” she says. “I was stunned and alarmed that I had no awareness, in the moment or afterward, of what I had done.” Kristina’s is one of many stories I’ve recently heard from people suggesting they’re having more trouble staying focused, making decisions, or remembering things. I’ve experienced this myself—misplacing keys, forgetting appointments, and leaving lights on in vacated rooms. When it comes to work, I’m less focused and have trouble getting things done. Perhaps it’s because I spend so much time online, reading news, shopping, working, even socializing via Zoom. When you’re constantly staring at a screen—especially if you’re following events unfolding in Ukraine—you’re bound to suffer stress and attention fatigue from information overload. The emotional costs of the pandemic aren’t helping, either. It’s clear that COVID-19 conditions have affected people’s stress levels, sleep, and mental health—especially those who don’t deal well with uncertainty. This, in turn, has affected our cognitive well-being, leading to poorer perfor...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning cognition cognitive challenge cognitive well being cognitive-functioning exercise foggy brains Source Type: blogs